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.

3 Months and Counting!

Just a little over 3 months til my big Europe trip with Lindsi! Words cannot express the excitement and nervousness I have about this trip... I have traveled a bunch these past couple years without my family/with friends. But going on a month long trip to many countries with my best friend...going to be the trip of a lifetime without a doubt. I CANNOT wait!
I am most nervous about packing lightly, those of you that know me well know that I like to look cute and match and all that girly stuff...definitely not going to happen on this trip. And you know what, I am going to learn how to be just fine with that! :)
Bought a gown for formal night on the cruise though, it is GORGEOUS. Definitely flatters my body type and is all black so i can dress it up fun...will post a picture below with a bunch of pics of the places I am going that I googled!
So heres a basic summary of the trip...
Sept 2...Fly from Charlotte to Reykjavik Iceland...then Iceland to London on sept 3
Enjoy London for couple days
Cruise from Sept 5-19th to....
Amsterdam(Netherlands),Brugge(Belgium), Paris(France), Cork(Ireland), Santiago de Compostela(Spain), Lisbon (portugal), Gibraltar(UK), Barcelona(Spain)Cannes(France)Florence/Pisa(Italy) then land in ROME!
Spend a few days in Rome...Vatican City, Coliseum, Pantheon..all that awesome stuff.Then going up to Florence/Chianti Valley for a couple days...
Then overnight train ride to Munich! Traveling Germany, Austria maybe Switzerland for a week while staying with Lindsi's friend. Spending my 21st birthday at Oktoberfest in Munich!
Flying from Frankfurt back to Charlotte on Sept 29th..
Then hopefully having a lil bday cookout at my house to show off my pictures and share foreign wine and chocolates with my NC friends :)
I am so blessed to have been given this opportunity. God is so good!
Heres some pictures I googled of a few places I am going...*BIG BIG SMILE!*

















As you can tell I love food. That is probably on the "top 3 things I am most excited for" list.
If any of you have been to any of the places I am going, I would absolutely LOVE any tips/pointers/info you have to offer! :)
Hope you are all having a great week!

Pay it Forward.

Imitating Christ's Humility

¹If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
⁶Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
⁷but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

We studied this in church this morning. It really stuck out to me...this is how I WANT to live my life. I WANT to be that light...to fully embody it, exude it, and put others needs above my own at all times. And not just when it is convenient-I want to do it when it is most inconvenient because that is what Jesus did for me. I am sure it wasn't on the top of his "what I'd like to accomplish today" list; to die a horrible painful death to save you and I, but he did it. I feel like for the first time in a long time, no, the first time in my entire life, I can fully say I surrender ALL and mean it. I can fully ask for forgiveness for ALL of my sins, even the deep dark ones I have been hiding afraid to expose, and say take me, love me, use me for Your will. There is no better feeling than making someones day with a random act of kindness. That is what I will strive to do every day, put a smile on when I don't feel like it and go out of my comfort zone to serve others, just as Christ did for ME.

The Greek word "Chara" means to have joy and a calm delight, and the word "Phroneo" means to have a single minded focus and attitude (On GOD). And the word "Doulos" literally means to be a slave/servant. Those words mean so much more when put like that...we hear the words joy, serve, attitude on a regular basis, but when tied together and the root word exposed, along with the passage above...It has such a deeper meaning. My pastor, Mike, did a great job explaining this concept today. There was a story I heard at chruch...a couple was out walking together and got stuck in the middle of a massive downpour. And instead of being grumpy, they looked at eachother and laughed, and enjoyed eachothers company while walking in the rain. The analogy that was given is that we are all facing storms at some point in our lives, and sometimes its best to just let it happen, understand you can't fight it, find something to smile about. I can honestly say my cousin Kristi has done this and been the best example of what it means to strive to be like Christ in difficult and trying situations. (read just a bit of her blog and you will see what I mean...Love you Kris!) THATS what I want to do...

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus...

Unwritten.

I really love the lyrics to this song...

I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

<3

Lots goin on!

Man it has been one crazy and awesome past week!! Went to my first NASCAR race! I must say, I am a fan now. I know, ME?!? Lil Miss make fun of those nascar lovin' hicks?! Yup. At least, being there is awesome. It is quite a rush, hearing the cars, watching the people, meeting new people..so fun!
I was running all over the place, went with Amber and her friends and then saw my friend Jordon for awhile...Dad and Tiff were there somewhere too but didn't end up meeting up with them. Was a great time!!!!

Got an informative email from Mike today, it is very intense and things are going to get crazy for our troops quickly here...Considered posting it for prayers, but I believe it is too much info to just be posting online. Sent out an email to some family, but if you are interested in specifics and what to look out for and pray for, feel free to contact me and I can pass along what he sent me!!

Its another gorgeous day...gunna grab some food and catch up on some shows. Heres a couple picstures from the race saturday...Will write more when I am not so exhaustedd!

Have a great week!

Beautiful day at the Biltmore!!

I had such a wonderful day today!
Jo Ellen and I went to the Biltmore House in Asheville...it was amazing! Weather was perfect, not too crowded, got to tour the amazing house with an audio guide, spent hours in the garden, hiked beautiful trails to a waterfall, went to the winery and learned all about the wine making process, then ended the day with an amazinggg dinner at the Arbor grill. Its seeing things like I saw today, the natural beauty and the architecture that has withstood decades, that just confirms my faith for me yet again. How can one see the beauty of this world and not believe in the Creator?
My God is an awesome God.
Take a look at a few of the breathtaking things we got to see today...

Things I love!

Jesus.
Music.
Dad. Mom.Tiff.Nat.Brooke...Family.
Calamari Lillian.
Beach.
Sun.
Trees.
Lindsi. Kelley. Jacqueline.Mikey, Garrett...Best Friends.
Letters in the mail.
My bed.
The Bible.
Writing.
Amber, Kyla, Christina, Jo Ellen, Nick....New Friends.
Laughing till your stomach hurts.
Simply Cuddling.
Carolina Winters.
Makeup.
California Summers.
Green tea lemonades&Iced coffee....starbucks.
Hawaii.
Forehead kisses&big bear hugs.
Random acts of kindness...giving and receiving.
Traveling.
Marilyn Monroe.
Food.
Martini Glasses.
Cooking.
Tubing on the lake.
Feeling pretty.
A good workout.
Giving massages.
Water.

Random? Yes. Just thought I would share some things that I love love love!