excited&BLESSED!

Another aamazingly gorgeous Carolina weekend, and can't help but be reminded of how incredibly blessed I am. God is SO good, words cannot even begin to describe. I have been given the coolest opportunities and and starting to develop some amazing new friendships, it is amazing what happens when you learn to just let go and let Him work. I am a completely different person than I was this time last year, a better, more mature, patient and more faithful person. Still incredibly flawed, but accepting of my flaws and able to be content letting God do His work in my life.

I bought the new Rascal Flatts CD, and theres a song called "Things that Matter" that I love. Download it/read these lyrics...

Sometimes he lets that boss get in his head
He can’t see past that mountain of deadlines on his desk
5oclock he’s that last one out of the gate
And he gets cut off flipped off ticked off out on the interstate
And he wonders why this world won’t leave him alone
Till he hears that little voice holler “daddy’s home”
Things that matter
Things that don’t
She’s held on to that grudge all her life
Had thirty years of anger
Since her dad walked out that night
She thinks of all the moments that he's missed
All the birthdays ballets first dates
That seems too much to forget
She gets that call that said he don’t have long
She walks in
He starts crying
The past is gone
Things that matter
Things that don’t
Time ain’t on my side
Don’t want to leave this world
With why didn’t I?
Why didn’t I?
Yeah why didn’t I?
Sometimes I take on this world by myself
Thinking I got all the answers
Don’t need anybody’s help
Well God was right there waiting for me all along
To fall down on my knees surrender all
Things that matter
Things that don’t
Things that matter
Things that don’t

Such a good song. And I am excited to be seeing them on August 1st here in Charlotte with my new friends! Going to be so much fun!
In addition to having that to look forward to, I am going home in about 2 weeks and absolutely cannot wait!!!!!! Going to be so good to see family and friends!!! Prayers that that trip goes smoothly..
Then a month of work work work, and then EUROPE with my best friend. Cannot believe it is coming up so quickly. CRAZY!!!
I am seriously so blessed and excited for all the awesome opportunities I have coming up. Takin life a day at a time and enjoying every minute of it.

Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend, look forward to seein my CA/OK family and friends soon! LOVE YOU ALL!

Heads Carolina, Tails California...

MAN it has been a whole 23 days since I have last written...I know, I know, I am slackin! Keeping busy though which is good. Lets see what has been going on over here...
Well, my Kelley Anne came out and visited me! We had a great time...went to Lazy 5 Ranch, out tubing on the lake, went uptown for Taste of Charlotte and to a couple nightclubs. Then Justin came up from South Carolina for a couple days and we BBQd and went to the theme park out here, Carowinds. It was such a nice weekend with my friends!! Hangin out with them made me realize how homesick I am...how much I miss the beach and my best friends back in CA.
I have made some great friends here, finally got out and went on some dates, been exploring my new home and loving it. Got to be the Esthetician for another "beauty party" at my neighbors...building up my clientele doing facials and waxing! Yay! Have the opportunity to get an assistant manager position at a starbucks out here which I may take advantage of for the time being. Save some money, enjoy the south...who would've thought I'd end up country!
I booked a trip back home on a whim this week...going to be back in good ol OC mid-July for a week. I love California summers too much to stay away! Not to mention all my incredible friends. Having a beach day July 17th at Laguna main beach...Be there!
Well going to cuz this short, gotta catch up on The Bachelorette! (Priotities, ya know!?)
Hope y'all are doing well, will write more later in the week...
OH PS!
saw my first fireflies!!!! They are the coolest stinkin things ever!!!!!

Strength Will Rise As We Wait Upon the Lord.

Patience. A daily struggle for me. I sit here typing on a brand new laptop because I dropped my trusty toshiba (RIP ALL my pictures, music, school stuff... sad face..) and could not wait to get another computer. I didn't have the patience...didn't have the patience to share my family computer a mere 20 feet from my room...didn't have the patience to save up for the macbook I reallllyy wanted. Patience, as you can tell, is not at all my strong suit. Oh well. I will continue to work on it...

I love the Chris Tomlin song "Everlasting". Download it if you haven't heard it. It is like a breath of fresh air. A reminder that patience pays off, and that God will be there forever and ever, regardless. A nice peace to have knowing that when everything else is fleeting, there is one and one alone that will never be broken down. I have been faced with the challenge of losing friends this past year, as well as learning to trust new ones, and it is tough stuff. But striving to be more Christ-like in my daily life really has made a difference in my relationships and the way I view people; individuals. It is really cool and inexplicable.
I was over at my friend Ambers apartment the other night, sitting around the community fire pit with an array of different people of different ethnicity's and upbringings...and some of us got into God conversations, topics of upbringings came up, and hearing these stories and testimonies just got me thinking and verbalizing how astonishingly thankful I am for my functional family. If you haven't had the pleasure of getting to know my family, you are missing out. My parents are hands down the best parents anyone could ask for. I can say this in retrospect after years of temper tantrums, "i hate yous" and arguments. I can honestly say my parents are my best friends, and it is because of the love they have for God and eachother, and the morals they committed to instilling in my sisters and me, even when being the "cool parent" would've been so much easier. They didn't give up. They didn't give in. THAT is what makes all the difference.THAT is what is so rare to find these days, THAT is what I want. I want someone who loves God with all that they are, someone to hold accountable and pray with, someone to pray for the family at the dinner table and lead a life that is one to be proud of. I am so thankful that because of my parents and the faith they have shared with me, the bar has been set higher. SO thankful.
I just got distracted...remembered I need to go write some thank you notes...Mike sent me the softest blanket ever from Kyrgyzstan (SP?!), and his mommy sent me some pictures of him all dressed up handsome in his uniform...He's such a trooper.
Man, another scatterbrained and less than eloquently written post...forgive me as I have been up since 4 am. About bed time for me!

If you are reading this, I really appreciate you taking the time to read about my random ramblings. And if you have been given this site by me, please know that you are extremely important to my life, whether living 5 minutes or 5 days away. You are a blessing to me and I love you!

:)

Good luck to you all as the summer approaches, whether you are finishing up school/teaching, or just preparing for a full summer of work or being home with kids...praying for and thinking of you.