Full of Joy

well, as many of you know, i have been taking a different direction in life. this week, three of my friends and i have decided that this is the road we would like to head down. we are excited about this new journey and all the ways we will learn and grow. if any of you would like to join us, please contact me. we would love to have you apart of our group. our motto is: "Jesus will never break your heart." we will spend lots of time eating foods on a stick, having our faces sculpted out of butter, learning to spin basketballs on our fingers, overcoming phobias of spiders and mice, teaching our creepy pet cats to jump off 33 floor balconies, making our own food every night for supper...even french toast, going to camp and taking numerous naps a day, embracing our femininity- even the color pink, watching "step up" at least twice a day, and never ever will we talk about boys. shout out to my pink habit homies!

my little brother was involved in a serious car accident this past week. it was a head on collision. both his truck, along with the oncoming vehicle, were totaled. God spared my brother's life! johnny walked away with a broken bone in his hand, tons of scrapes, cuts, etc. (the air bag went off), and his worst injury was to his knee. he had previously had ACL surgery this summer, and that knee was reinjured in the accident. his knee is so swollen and bruised that the doctor has to see him again in 2 weeks before they can know what's wrong. his knee is grotesquely huge and colored. he is in a lot of pain. mom sent a picture, but of course, it won't work on my blog. anyway...please pray for john mark! he is really discouraged, and obviously needs major healing! praise God he's alive... i am praying... i love you johnny!

yes, that's right everyone. today, as of 10:30 am, i am officially certified as a COFFEE MASTER! i would like to thank my family, friends, and all those who made this possible. i coudn't have done it without you. HAHA!! seriously, though! i'm totally stoked!! God is so good to me. so good.

what's with the state fair anyways?

tomorrow at this time, i very well might be a coffee master. yes, that's correct, i said coffee master . tomorrow morning i am being re-tested on the final two components that prove whether or not i know my coffee stuff. you think i'm kidding? oh no, no, no. in fact, my friend, i have been working on my coffee master's for months now. it involves everything from the dirt in which the coffee bean is grown, to the farmer's who tend to the coffee farms, to the roasting "curve" starbucks is infamous for, to the packaging of our beans, to the brewing equipment in our store, to the quality of our beverages...and on and on and on it goes. my district manager will be testing me orally on my knowledge of our company, and it's product: coffee. it quite fankly reminds me of college when i had my theology orals. that was a wretched experience, one that i hope i never have to suffer through ever again. but, much like my theo orals, i am expected to know, retai...

Tonight, all is well in the world. My world. It’s almost mid August, and I have had sudden fears lately that summer is quickly coming to an end. I have begun to stop and smell the roses, if you will. Things like enjoying the warmth and rush of heat when I first step out side in the morning; or going for my morning jog and talking my life over with God; or walking at a beautiful lake with a dear friend and lazily bantering about life and what could be; or sitting here in my apartment all alone listening to one of my favorite sounds in all the world…summer chirping bugs. It only happens in the summer with the windows wide open, the still heat wrapping my body in its embrace, and the bugs singing their soothing melodies that speak directly to my soul. A soul that reflects my Savior’s peace. A peace that only comes from a God who knows me intimately, deeply- a God who knows my heart and all its hidden chambers and passages. A God who is whispering quietly to my soul, my very being,...

thanks to thee mr. james miller (never call him "jame") i now have titles, and have learned how to add pictures. thank you james!

Two years ago today, life as I knew it was forever altered. My heart was ripped from my body and shattered into millions of pieces. Two years ago today, my heart was turned into tiny grains of black sand and the painful, turbulent winds of life blew those grains all over the world. Two years ago today, I thought it would be impossible to put all those grains of sand that were my heart back into one solid mass. Have you ever tried to clean up a pile of sand? It’s impossible. The grains are too tiny, too miniscule to be able to restore them. Two years ago today, I didn’t think I would ever be a person again. Two years ago today, I never would have known that my Father God could turn the sickness and agony of my broken life into something beautiful and good. Two years ago today, I never would have pictured myself living in Minneapolis on my own, all by myself, and happy. Today I am here to tell you that I am whole. I am a person again. I live, and breathe, and revel in my God. I exist to ...

can someone please tell me how to post a stinkin' picture on this blog? i have tried to follow "blogger's" directions and they just don't work! AND how do i make titles?