- My sister called me to tell me I'd be getting a call from my niece cause she wanted me to go to the zoo with her.
- When my niece called me, she told me that we could go over the rainbow to see unicorns at the unicorn zoo.
- After 2 weeks of being sick, I was finally able to work out again. And my workout clothes don't fit properly so that was a plus.
- Kate Voegele dropped a new album today and because a friend of mine has such a generous heart, I was able to download it for FREE!!!
- My niece yelled to her mother in the middle of small group, "Mommy, can you come wipe me?"
- Not only is Glee on tonight but so is the Voice - I love these shows!
- Tomorrow I get to have lunch with one of my favorite people.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Happy Thoughts
Today was one of those days that just made me smile - lots of little things that brought a smile so I thought I'd share some of them!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Road Trip = Hope Renewed
Let me start by saying that I hope this blog makes sense because I have about a 1,000 thoughts running through my mind and I hope that I can formulate them into a comprehensive post.
My sister called me at 8:30 and asked me to come and stay with her tonight because her husband is gone. So while I was driving over to Peoria, I was randomly flipping through my CD's and hit upon Jesus Culture and boom, a new post is born. But first, let me back up a bit.
As those of you who have been reading my blog know, the past few months have been really difficult. I've been struggling a lot with my relationship with Jesus and whether or not I really hear Him. Tuesday morning I woke up at 2am with a horrible sore throat - it hurt to swallow so yesterday was a struggle to go to work. About 1pm, I got an email from an old friend and when I started reading it, I immediately burst into tears. He told me that he'd meant to email me last week but I'd been on his mind and he'd been praying for me and wanted to know if there was anything particular going on. And then he told me he found an old letter I'd written to him when I was in YWAM (I know - who writes letters anymore? It was over 10 years ago). I'd shared a picture that I felt like God had shown me - I saw a big pile of glass beads w/ someone shuffling through them. All of a sudden a piece of thread w/ a needle on the end of it appeared. I felt like God was telling me if I let Him He would make this incredible necklace out of my life one bead at a time, if I was willing to let Him, instead of doing it my way and putting on any old beads, just so the necklace would be finished quickly. He told me he didn't know if it meant anything but felt like he needed to share it with me.
I emailed him back and told him that I needed to be reminded that God hadn't forgotten me and that it did in fact mean something to me. He responded back that God was in fact amazing, because he'd been doubting his ability to hear God because of circumstances he was dealing with and my response confirmed to him that he did in fact hear God. How cool is that? But wait there's more.
Back to Jesus Culture - the first song that played was this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZoOfGiqZ7Y and these words hit me like a sledgehammer:
My sister called me at 8:30 and asked me to come and stay with her tonight because her husband is gone. So while I was driving over to Peoria, I was randomly flipping through my CD's and hit upon Jesus Culture and boom, a new post is born. But first, let me back up a bit.
As those of you who have been reading my blog know, the past few months have been really difficult. I've been struggling a lot with my relationship with Jesus and whether or not I really hear Him. Tuesday morning I woke up at 2am with a horrible sore throat - it hurt to swallow so yesterday was a struggle to go to work. About 1pm, I got an email from an old friend and when I started reading it, I immediately burst into tears. He told me that he'd meant to email me last week but I'd been on his mind and he'd been praying for me and wanted to know if there was anything particular going on. And then he told me he found an old letter I'd written to him when I was in YWAM (I know - who writes letters anymore? It was over 10 years ago). I'd shared a picture that I felt like God had shown me - I saw a big pile of glass beads w/ someone shuffling through them. All of a sudden a piece of thread w/ a needle on the end of it appeared. I felt like God was telling me if I let Him He would make this incredible necklace out of my life one bead at a time, if I was willing to let Him, instead of doing it my way and putting on any old beads, just so the necklace would be finished quickly. He told me he didn't know if it meant anything but felt like he needed to share it with me.
I emailed him back and told him that I needed to be reminded that God hadn't forgotten me and that it did in fact mean something to me. He responded back that God was in fact amazing, because he'd been doubting his ability to hear God because of circumstances he was dealing with and my response confirmed to him that he did in fact hear God. How cool is that? But wait there's more.
Back to Jesus Culture - the first song that played was this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZoOfGiqZ7Y and these words hit me like a sledgehammer:
Monday, April 25, 2011
Happy Easter??
This weekend was one of those crazy, busy weekends that I went into somewhat exhausted. I worked at Loft on Friday night and then did a long shift on Saturday. I went to hang out with Jenna & Emily after and by the time I got home, I was more than ready for bed. I'd only been in bed for a few minutes when I got up to go to the bathroom. I saw that I had a message on my phone so I checked it. It was from my sister and I knew that if she was calling me at 11:30 at night, it wasn't good. I was right - my mom was on her way to the hospital with chest pains, heaviness in her arms, and tingling in her legs. Thank God for my roommate because I momentarily lost my head and couldn't think straight at all. She helped me pack all my stuff and made sure I had the important things as well...you know underwear, toothbrush etc.
By the time I got to the hospital, my sisters were already there and mom seemed to be doing better. They gave her some meds and had already done an EKG which showed nothing. We didn't get home until about 2:45 that morning and let's just say no one slept really well. We got up and went to church, raced home and had lunch, and then back to the hospital. Mom had another round of chest pains and they did another EKG of which nothing showed up again! She's still in the hospital waiting on the results of a stress test so if you think about it - pray for her that nothing serious shows up. And just pray for my dad as well....he's freaked out even though he's trying to not show it.
This morning, I got a phone call and found out some friends of mine had their home broken into and were attacked last night. They are fine and the attacker wasn't able to get what he had come for. Because of his (my friend's) quick thinking, they were able to subdue him and the police took him into custody. I still can't quite wrap my mind around the fact that this happened to someone I know.
I feel so exhausted and overwhelmed by everything that has happened and it made me think (again) about how short life is. So here's my question - if you knew your time here was limited what is one thing you'd want to do or what is that one thing you'd want to tell someone? I know it's kind of a depressing thought especially because we just celebrated Easter but it's sort of where I'm at today.
By the time I got to the hospital, my sisters were already there and mom seemed to be doing better. They gave her some meds and had already done an EKG which showed nothing. We didn't get home until about 2:45 that morning and let's just say no one slept really well. We got up and went to church, raced home and had lunch, and then back to the hospital. Mom had another round of chest pains and they did another EKG of which nothing showed up again! She's still in the hospital waiting on the results of a stress test so if you think about it - pray for her that nothing serious shows up. And just pray for my dad as well....he's freaked out even though he's trying to not show it.
This morning, I got a phone call and found out some friends of mine had their home broken into and were attacked last night. They are fine and the attacker wasn't able to get what he had come for. Because of his (my friend's) quick thinking, they were able to subdue him and the police took him into custody. I still can't quite wrap my mind around the fact that this happened to someone I know.
I feel so exhausted and overwhelmed by everything that has happened and it made me think (again) about how short life is. So here's my question - if you knew your time here was limited what is one thing you'd want to do or what is that one thing you'd want to tell someone? I know it's kind of a depressing thought especially because we just celebrated Easter but it's sort of where I'm at today.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Workout Update
I'm 9 weeks in to the P90x cycle and I'm still doing it! I'm actually sort of shocked cause I usually give up before I get this far. I have to confess that last week was a bit shady - I only worked out about 3 days but hey, it was rest week so I rested, right? :)
I still feel like some days I can't tell a difference but today was chest & back and I'm proud to say that I did 97% of it by doing real push ups, not push ups on my knees. I've got biceps for the first time in my life, which I'm pretty proud of. I'm looking forward to the end of the cycle but also want to continue some of the workouts cause I enjoy them. So there you go - my workout update.
I realize that it's more than just working out - it's creating a habit and I think that God is still trying to teach me about pushing through and not giving up. I'm excited cause I know this is going to flow into other areas of my life!
I still feel like some days I can't tell a difference but today was chest & back and I'm proud to say that I did 97% of it by doing real push ups, not push ups on my knees. I've got biceps for the first time in my life, which I'm pretty proud of. I'm looking forward to the end of the cycle but also want to continue some of the workouts cause I enjoy them. So there you go - my workout update.
I realize that it's more than just working out - it's creating a habit and I think that God is still trying to teach me about pushing through and not giving up. I'm excited cause I know this is going to flow into other areas of my life!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Grace is NOT my middle name
So this is one of those moment of truth posts as well as one of those - I'm giving you permission to laugh at me moments.
Ever since I was a child, I've not been the most graceful girl around. Growing up I always had unexplained bumps, bruises, and scratches. My legs always looked like I'd run through a patch of thorns with no regard, so it really goes without saying that I was a bit of a klutz. I think part of it was because I was 5'4" when I was in 4th grade but that's a whole other post. As I got older, I did get a bit more coordinated but not much.
I've always wanted to be thought of as graceful especially since I'm taller than most girls but it wasn't meant to be. I'm sure you've all seen the post from a couple of weeks back - the one where I busted my chin. Well, get ready, I have another story for you but sadly no pictures.
I've been working at Loft for quite some time now and I love it! The people I work with are great and it's always a lot of fun. This week has been really busy because we've gotten in a ton of new shipment and have done a whole new floor set. So last night I went in and had only been there for about an hour when it happened. I was helping a client and she bought a jacket and pair of pants, so I put a bag over it and turned around to hand it to her and tripped over this big plastic box that was on the floor. Let me just say, that Jessica had already tripped over it 3x. I tried to play it off and finished up with her. The other girls were dressing mannequins so I walked over to tell them what had happened. When I pulled up my pant leg to show them, it looked really bad. It was a huge gash and lots of blood. Melanie and Shelbie freaked out and took me to the back to clean it up. Shelbie was dry heaving because of the blood and Melanie was really worried about my shoes (they were super cute and she was worried I was going to get blood on them). The more we tried to clean it the more it bled. So in between Melanie worrying and laughing, I finally grabbed the stuff from Shelbie, rubbed Neosporin on it, slapped an eye pad that I'd found in the first aid kit on it, wrapped it with gauze and then taped it. Now I know an eye pad seems weird but it was the right size and really thick. So we kind of laughed about it all night.
Fast forward to tonight - I wore a cute pair of wedges today and as I was 5 feet from the store something popped. Yep that's right, the glue on my shoe gave and so now the bottom of my shoe was separated from the wedge portion. Are you kidding me? I could NOT believe that had happened. Thankfully I was a bit early so I thought, I'll just glue it and go on with my life. No such luck because we didn't have any glue so I put packing tape in between it trying to hold it together and it sort of worked but not really. Melanie had a good laugh at that as well - she's like "wow, I don't think we should leave you alone for a second!" So there you are - graceful I am not!! I swore to her that I was going to wear flat shoes that had no chance of breaking and was staying away from boxes the next time I work...we'll see if I succeed in not injuring myself.
Ever since I was a child, I've not been the most graceful girl around. Growing up I always had unexplained bumps, bruises, and scratches. My legs always looked like I'd run through a patch of thorns with no regard, so it really goes without saying that I was a bit of a klutz. I think part of it was because I was 5'4" when I was in 4th grade but that's a whole other post. As I got older, I did get a bit more coordinated but not much.
I've always wanted to be thought of as graceful especially since I'm taller than most girls but it wasn't meant to be. I'm sure you've all seen the post from a couple of weeks back - the one where I busted my chin. Well, get ready, I have another story for you but sadly no pictures.
I've been working at Loft for quite some time now and I love it! The people I work with are great and it's always a lot of fun. This week has been really busy because we've gotten in a ton of new shipment and have done a whole new floor set. So last night I went in and had only been there for about an hour when it happened. I was helping a client and she bought a jacket and pair of pants, so I put a bag over it and turned around to hand it to her and tripped over this big plastic box that was on the floor. Let me just say, that Jessica had already tripped over it 3x. I tried to play it off and finished up with her. The other girls were dressing mannequins so I walked over to tell them what had happened. When I pulled up my pant leg to show them, it looked really bad. It was a huge gash and lots of blood. Melanie and Shelbie freaked out and took me to the back to clean it up. Shelbie was dry heaving because of the blood and Melanie was really worried about my shoes (they were super cute and she was worried I was going to get blood on them). The more we tried to clean it the more it bled. So in between Melanie worrying and laughing, I finally grabbed the stuff from Shelbie, rubbed Neosporin on it, slapped an eye pad that I'd found in the first aid kit on it, wrapped it with gauze and then taped it. Now I know an eye pad seems weird but it was the right size and really thick. So we kind of laughed about it all night.
Fast forward to tonight - I wore a cute pair of wedges today and as I was 5 feet from the store something popped. Yep that's right, the glue on my shoe gave and so now the bottom of my shoe was separated from the wedge portion. Are you kidding me? I could NOT believe that had happened. Thankfully I was a bit early so I thought, I'll just glue it and go on with my life. No such luck because we didn't have any glue so I put packing tape in between it trying to hold it together and it sort of worked but not really. Melanie had a good laugh at that as well - she's like "wow, I don't think we should leave you alone for a second!" So there you are - graceful I am not!! I swore to her that I was going to wear flat shoes that had no chance of breaking and was staying away from boxes the next time I work...we'll see if I succeed in not injuring myself.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Happy Birthday Linsdsey!!
So this post is about a week and a half late but...better late than never right? I remember clearly the day Lindsey was born. I'd moved back to Illinois in September and had been living with my sister and her husband for a few months - translation: I needed to move out once Lindsey was born. That day was pretty normal...it was a Saturday and we were hanging out at home. Troy brought lunch home and then he left to do some errands. Lisa was in labor and thought he'd be back but it went very quickly and he barely made it in time. I remember holding her for the first time - she had lots of dark hair and I thought she was the cutest thing ever!! Unfortunately, I don't have any of those photos on my computer but trust me when I say she was darling!
Lindsey has always been such a little girly girl and yet she's a tomboy as well! She loves dressing up, make-up, clothes, etc. She's definitely a princess. She has a sweet spirit and loves to be in the limelight but not in an obnoxious way! She can also be very quiet and you often find her in her room or somewhere in a quiet room reading!
A few years ago, I started a what has since become a birthday tradition with Lindsey. She came to spend the night. The next day we went to breakfast and then I gave her some money and we went shopping. She got to buy whatever she wanted that day. We also had to stop for Starbucks somewhere in there and then back to shopping. We've done that for the past few years and are planning to do it again this year. I look forward to that time because you never quite know what she's going to say or do.
I look forward to continuing to see Lindsey grow up and see the young woman she will turn into. I love this child and am proud to be her aunt! Here's a picture of Lindsey from her birthday party!
Lindsey has always been such a little girly girl and yet she's a tomboy as well! She loves dressing up, make-up, clothes, etc. She's definitely a princess. She has a sweet spirit and loves to be in the limelight but not in an obnoxious way! She can also be very quiet and you often find her in her room or somewhere in a quiet room reading!
A few years ago, I started a what has since become a birthday tradition with Lindsey. She came to spend the night. The next day we went to breakfast and then I gave her some money and we went shopping. She got to buy whatever she wanted that day. We also had to stop for Starbucks somewhere in there and then back to shopping. We've done that for the past few years and are planning to do it again this year. I look forward to that time because you never quite know what she's going to say or do.
I look forward to continuing to see Lindsey grow up and see the young woman she will turn into. I love this child and am proud to be her aunt! Here's a picture of Lindsey from her birthday party!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Milestones
Well this weekend was filled with milestones. The biggest one of course was moving my little sister to Peoria, or technically speaking Morton, IL. I feel like it was a milestone for me because for the first time, she's the one taking a big step and not me. I've mentioned before that I'm usually the one moving away so it felt really weird to know that this time it was her. I have to say that it's still a bit surreal to me because I'm used to driving 40 minutes to see her. I didn't think it would hit me until I was ready to leave. Of course, she got teary eyed which made me tear up as well. I'm excited for her cause I know she and Lamar are about to start a great adventure but I also know the adjustment that comes with moving to a new home in a new town. I know that both of them will dig in and feel comfortable there in no time. I think the thing that broke my heart the most was as I was pulling out of the driveway, I looked up and Miss Lauren was standing in the big picture window with Rascal Spot Unicorn Clifford the Big Red Dog Pokey looking at me with her big blue eyes. I will miss being able to pop in any time but I also know that I'm welcome in Morton any time as well. Have I mentioned I have my own room?;)
The other big milestone for me was that for the first time in my life, I did a real push-up. I just finished my 5th week of working out and tomorrow is crazy busy for me so I decided to do tomorrow's work out tonight. It involves lots of push-ups so I decided to give it a shot. I did it! Granted it wasn't very deep but I don't care - I did an honest to goodness real push up. That was a proud moment for me. Of course, I couldn't do that for the entire workout but I'm still proud of myself. And the other part of that is I was finally able to touch the floor with my hands with stretching. There are days when I question whether anything is happening other than sore muscles but I have to believe that what I'm doing is making a difference. My hope is to be wearing single digit pants by August!!!
The other big milestone for me was that for the first time in my life, I did a real push-up. I just finished my 5th week of working out and tomorrow is crazy busy for me so I decided to do tomorrow's work out tonight. It involves lots of push-ups so I decided to give it a shot. I did it! Granted it wasn't very deep but I don't care - I did an honest to goodness real push up. That was a proud moment for me. Of course, I couldn't do that for the entire workout but I'm still proud of myself. And the other part of that is I was finally able to touch the floor with my hands with stretching. There are days when I question whether anything is happening other than sore muscles but I have to believe that what I'm doing is making a difference. My hope is to be wearing single digit pants by August!!!
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