Thanks!

So, today is Thanksgiving. I woke up, sat around the table with my family, and talked to Ben and Jen in South Korea! Good morning. Then, since I am the only other female besides my mom this year, I helped out in the kitchen all morning. I was doing so well! I have been feeling so hopeful and confident in my cooking skills! A few dishes had been made, pies were in the oven, and I moved on to the sweet potatoes. Oh no....

After getting the whole thing put together, making the yummy, crumbly topping, my mom came over and tasted it. "Oh no," she said. "Something's wrong. What do I taste?" Guess what your pal Jess did? She put salt instead of sugar into the sweet pototoe casserole and the topping. Wow.

For a long time, I've said I can't cook. Part of me has simply not tried, but today was a good day! I tried, I did well, I screwed up a very essential dish, and I learned a lot. :) So, thanks! It's been a good morning. And I'm just laughing at myself for how awesome my salt and sugar mixup was. I'm going to have a very interesting first year of marriage, I can already tell.

Today, though, I am very thankful. I love having my parents and brother here. The past few days have been so good! Plus, David has decided on Bethel as his college and I'm so excited! I also have thoroughly enjoyed the presence of my friends these past couple days. I love them so entirely much! Last night, two of my best friends came over to play games, hang out, and just spend time with me and my family. They are incredible friends, ones I am daily thanking Jesus for. Combining their love with my family's is like watching a Christian Bale movie with an entirely Sondre Lerche inspired soundtrack-it can't get much better. I want more days like yesterday. Rest was so present. :)

I hope you all are enjoying this day and this break. Rest. Enjoy. Just Be. And thank him for who he is. :) Love you all!

4 a.m. Thoughts

A couple weeks ago, my friends and I participated in Scripture 66, the reading of the entire Bible through one weekend. We decided to read from 4 to 6 in the morning, and though I was not especially excited at first, I loved it. I was reading through my journal tonight, and I found my thoughts from that morning. This is what God has been teaching me, and he used that early morning to further challenge and woo me. So, here are some thoughts that I've been thinking. :)

11/3/08 

Philippians 4:4-9 (Amazing)

Your peace will guard my heart and mind; it goes beyond anything I can understand.

Lead me on and I will run after you.

(An untitled poem)

Hold my hand

Grab it in yours and lead me

Take me through the woods

Through the trees

The falling leaves

Through the darkness

Apart from you

I stumble

I run aimlessly

Through trees

Through the falling leaves

Through the darkness

I long to follow 

I trip

I get lost

You hold my hand

Even in my weakness

You intertwine my fingers in yours

Squeeze tightly

Warmth fills my body

I had to reach for that hand, though

You offered-

I grabbed, accepted

Pursuing your hand

Your heart

I want to know 

And follow hard after you

Forgive my wandering heart

My hand that seeks another

In my self-love

I have become lost

Become greater

Make me less

Hold my hand, dear Jesus

My Romancer

And Pursuer

Leader

I will follow

I want

to want 

to follow

And run after you

I can't wait...

Sometimes I need a little variety in my blogging routine. I like to document my thoughts, recent events, good and bad news, etc., but I also like to have some fun with what I put on this thing. 

Bradley Hathaway puts adequate words to my present state: 

Ecstatic... Thoughts... Uncontrollably sporadic. Yet centered around one center... joy. In plush ripe tones, joy is rushing through my bones.If joy was a color it would be purple pastel pretty like old women and young children both wear on Easter, smiling while having deviled eggs and drinking koolaid, chasing blown bubbles in the backyard. The young ones distracting hats fly off and the old ones laugh a contagious laughter that is to be shared by everyone there. The sun shines down upon them as all of their physical imperfections gleam beautifully... and inside... inside here I feel like this. 

And I look outside my window and imagine the future purple pastel pretty moments of joy that I will one day have with my wife and my children, my friends and my family. I really look forward to those moments but I am thankful for the one I am having right now, this morning, alone, on my couch, overwhelmed by joy.

I am so looking forward to what God has ahead for me, but today is a day that I am relishing. I love it. I want to enjoy every day, simply because it's a new day. But there are things I can't wait to experience. Things are awaiting me, may they be serious or just plain whimsical. It's so exciting!

I can't wait:

-to see my family in a few weeks! They will be here for Thanksgiving, a choir concert, a Bethel visit, and just time with the family.                                                                                               

-for winter! And Christmas! I love every thing about this season, this time of the year. We're already thinking of fun things to do: trip to Chicago (with the lights and hopefully snow!), some home-visiting, Christmas parties, snow battles, etc!

-to see what God is doing with this new idea of rest. What would it look like to share this with others? Does he want me to pursue a leadership/servant role in this? God is making my heart jump with glee!

These are all relatively current hopes, but I also get excited about other parts of my future:

-going to Oxford (I so hope!)

-graduating (Humanities and Bib. Studies! Yeah)

-somewhere along the way meeting "him" :) getting married!

-teaching (college level? maybe)

-exploring (I want to see so many places: Denmark, Ireland, India, Egypt, England, Australia, Indonesia, S. Korea, China, Honduras, Montana, New York, Maine, Washington)

-family time (I can't wait to spend holidays with my immediate family, my siblings and their families, and our parents...such a beautiful picture)

-meet Christian Bale and Sondre Lerche

I'm in a very content, yet hopeful mood. I like it a lot. I'd like to be here more often. So, good day! Enjoy this beautiful 24 hours!