Yesterday.

So today I saw the Normans...well Tatum + kids anyways.
She stopped by to say hello while at my work, I LOVE when people come by, so it was quite a pleasure. It was good to see the kiddos and for the first time ever...they seemed pretty stoked to see me. Even Cade was creeping out of her chair and waving her arms to say hello(This is big, given that the Norman children usually don't like me in their earliest stages of life).

Anyhow, this made me think of Hawaii last summer and all the lovely memories that went along with it. Then I thought about how Ryah just turned 5, and I met Tate when she was pregz with her.Then one thought lead to another and now I'm reminiscing about the old days of youth group and being a freshmen again. Heck, just high school period. It was so much easier! I felt like I had a place to go(youth group), and even though I begrudged the strict rules(no two-piece bathing suites, no PDA, no slapping each others' butts;), I felt quite at home. I felt like I belonged at Calvary Laguna, on Wednesday nights and at really any time. I remember being nagged by the Normans to spill all the juicy gossip(or lack there of) when I'd babysit, bake sales/car washes, winter/summer camps, worship nights(Pizza, Prayer and Praise), small groups, the original FUZE(thank you ONEREPUBLIC for making our all-nighters legendary)and random overtimes on warm summer nights. I MISS IT ALL! I don't have pictures to blog, but I certainly do have some great images on file in my head.

+

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Jeremiah 33:3

Wedding Bells.

My sister is getting married in less than six months! My beautiful, amazing sister is tying the knot! So weird, that she will be a wife and in a while: a mother. This thought is killing me. In my mind she has been and will remain 23 years old. Single gal(by choice...even though guys were constantly falling for her), friend lovin', party goin', waitressing, sister.She had a car and lived on her own by the time she was 18(I feel like such a slacker). In her condo by the beach, she continued to be free and live the crazy life of a twenty-somethin' year old. She has always been the big sister that I have always hoped to be like, and now she's morphing into this ultra-chic career women. She is affianced to an amazing guy and has a huge rock on her finger to prove it. She received her undergraduate degree in communications(public relations) and is now working for a small Public Relations Firm in Newport/Costa Mesa. She is only becoming more beautiful as she gets older, and to see her in her wedding dress was a truly spectacularly surreal moment.

Which brings me to the fact that: drum roll please... I am her maid of honor.
When I was younger and we had discussed her future wedding I had been told that someone older should be the maid of honor, so they could plan all the "events" and such. When she called me five or so months back to tell me that John had proposed, I didn't know what would happen. However, when we sat down in the hotel lobby(where he had popped the question) and she sat there gazing at her platinum engagement ring...she asked me to be her maid of honor. Tear* She told me that I was her best friend, and I was the only one she could see as her maid of honor(We were both crying.)Who knew that after all these years of petty sister squabbles, and arguments over borrowing clothes she would ask me to stand beside her on one of the most important days of her life. Time changes a lot, and I am so happy to be given this honor. We have truly become closer than I could ever have hoped for. And for this, I am truly thankful.

Which also reminds me that I have the "honor" of giving the toast at the reception.The thought alone gives me the creeps. All those eyes watching me, what will I say? Something sentimental? Something witty? Something Serious? Or all of the above? Oh well, I guess I'll figure it out when the time draws near. For now, I'll just shiver at the thought and push it to the back of my mind.

Anyway,
Congrats Crista!

Kiddos

(She is saying "ask")



Ok, excuse the use of the p word on the second video(luckily its just an anatomical term).



Seriously, HOW cute are these kids?
I love itsss.
They crack me up!

---

We bow our hearts
We bend our knees
Oh Spirit come make us humble
We turn our eyes
From evil things
Oh Lord we cast down our idols

So give us clean hands
and give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Oh give us clean hands
and give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Oh God let this be
a generation that seeks
Who seeks Your face, Oh God of Jacob
Oh God let us be
a generation that seeks
Who seeks Your face, Oh God of Jacob

We bow our hearts
We bend our knees
Oh Spirit come make us humble
We turn our eyes
From evil things
Oh Lord we cast down our idols

So give us clean hands
and give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Give us clean hands--Oh God
and give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Oh God let us be
a generation that seeks
Who seeks Your face, Oh God of Jacob
Oh God let us be
a generation that seeks
Who seeks Your face, Oh God of Jacob

Oh God of Jacob

I love this song, by far one of the most touching worship songs for me, personally. I'm pretty sure I can narrow it down to the last part of the chorus, when the song cries out to the "God of Jacob". When I consider God in terms of his faithfulness to the "heroes" of the old testament, I remember that his faithfulness didn't end when the last book of the old testament was completed. He is still the faithful God of Jacob, Moses, Joshua, and David, to this day. He is the mighty God who wiped out the armies of Egypt when they threatened his people. He is the mighty God who parted the red sea, Who sent manna from Heaven to provide for his children, and caused the walls of Jericho to fall to the ground. Hearing this song reminds me that my God is faithful and mighty. And I can call out his name asking for purity and diligence in seeking his face, and he will hear me...and answer.

Psalm 24:1-10

Shout to the LORD!

I think this is so amazing...
I can't tell you how many times I have heard this in church. I love this song, it was always my favorite growing up(Yes, I know I'm still growing). Who knew that the millions who tune in to American Idol weekly, would ever have a chance to hear this on National Television. The great thing is, its not some random Lawrence Welk re-run gone into sindication on TBN--it is prime time TV!

God is so good!

Grace.

One more thing,
grace.


I have been shown quite a lot of this lately by those who, in my opinion, owe me the very least. The 500 dollars I owed, to pay for the dent in my neighbors car, should have actually been 709 dollars. My neighbor told my Dad that I was a "good kid", and because it was an accident he wanted to pay anything over and above my insurance deductible. Which means, he payed over two hundred dollars that he didn't have to pay, to repair the damage caused by my carelessness. Then my parents wrote him the check for the 500 dollars and told me I could make payments. I thought this was really swell, considering I was quite short of that amount in my bank account(I am not a saver). Then this morning my Mom came in my room and wanted to talk, with the way things have been going lately, this sounded ominous. However, she just wanted to tell me that her and my Dad wanted to show me grace. They wanted to pay for half of my debt, and told me I could pay off the rest in smaller increments.

Thank you Lord for those who show me grace that I do not deserve.

Beauty.

Once again, I should be writing my English paper--and yet I am inspired to write about nothingness.

All inhibitions aside, today was a truly magnificent day. Not because of anything that happened or the way my life is going currently, it was just beautiful. If you didn't look out the window or spend time out of doors: you missed out. The day was flawless outside. My life has been so confusing lately, like I said in my earlier post. I feel like all that is in me is wanting to escape; from work, school and people. Completely discontent with the way things are going, I have something similar to a 7-year itch (slightly premature). Yet today after a short nap and a good cup of coffee(compliments of my brother), I decided to go outside and take advantage of what was left of the beauty of the day. I was surprised to find that it was almost fully intact, the way the sky was turning made the leaves and the air look and feel clean/fresh. It was kind of windy, which made riding my bike all the more enjoyable. I went with my Dad (Turry--to all my friends), who I have lately been quite on edge with. I guess with all my mishaps(s), as of late, things have been a bit tense between us. However today was great, we had a long overdue conversation ranging from car buying to bible college(It was a long ride). After telling him how much I feel like my life is monotonous and how jealous I am of friends who have "gotten away" from it all, he reminded me of the beauty that is all around me. It was hard to argue when the day had been truly lovely, and we were out in the perfection of God's creation. I am blessed to be where I am, and I love the fact that I take after my dad. Since I can remember, he has never failed to point out the snow on the mountains or the way the sun was setting, and say "Thank you Lord, for the beautiful day". I feel like I have always felt closest to God when I am surrounded by the wonder of his creation. A long time ago, I heard in a message something that really struck me as profound. The guy teaching brought out that God didn't have to make things beautiful, or pleasant to us. Food didn't have to taste good, his creation didn't have to be lovely...but he did. Personally, I think God made things beautiful to remind us of what we will have one day in Heaven.

Thank you Lord for the beauty you so graciously placed in your handiwork.








Psalm 19:1-3
" The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard. ^[a]"

Well Aware

I have recently become quite aware of just how awkward I am...

and I have been spilling more than usual. I don't know what is going on.


Awkward handshakes, Talking too fast on the phone(making it really awkward for the other person), Hugs that just weren't meant to be, Saying stupid things, Working too little, Crying too much, Not working out enough,Procrastinating , Never paying attention to my surroundings(resulting in car accidents and exaggerated clumsiness) ....

Life has been weird as of late. Or at least I HAVE been weird as of late.



Side Note:

Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your path."

I used to constantly recite this scripture when I was afraid, or unclear about the direction of my life. I think it is a verse worthy of re-visiting, and this is certainly a good time to do so .