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.