High Five Friday!

Hola Friday!  I'm linking up with Lauren for High Five Friday.  First a question, has your Facebook newsfeed caused you to sing R.E.M. all day??? No, just me...figures ;)

1.  Sunday night my church had a mortgage burning service, which was pretty groovy.  They gave an invitation for testimonies & I gave one.  It didn't seem so intimidating until the mic was in my hand and I was looking into a couple hundred faces!!!  I'm grateful and glad to say that God provided the words & none of my jokes got me in trouble...bonus!  Seriously though I serve an awesome God!

2.  A friend asked me to hang out & watch Fast Five...I love this series!!!  Every time I watch any Fast & Furious movie, it makes me wish I raced cars.  However the fact that my cars tend to attract other cars, makes me racing a very bad idea :(

3.  Look what UPS brought me!!!

4.  The Lord used a long car ride this week to speak some truth into my life!  I didn't want to go where I had to go.  I was annoyed that it was going to take soooooooooo long.  But no God had a purpose for that drive far beyond my physical destination!!!

5.  S.A.L.T. Movie Night @ my house!  We watched The Bourne Legacy, which was good, but I enjoyed the talking & hanging out before & after the movie best :D  They are a fun group!

Well that's all she wrote kids...good night!

Day 1 - Unsettle Me

The end of 2012 is quickly approaching & with that comes reflection of what I did with that time.  I see where I could have done more, grown more, read more, served more, pushed harder & of course could have wrangled my tongue more.  This year has brought quite a bit of loss, with the passing of my father.  That brings questions, would he be proud of my choices?  How would he have advised me to have handled this situation & that situation?  2012 has been a tough year & looking on the other side of it I see how the Lord has strengthened me through it.  However He has also shown some BRIGHT light on some areas of my life that need to be taken care of.

I'm the type that wants to fix everything at once, so I take on too much and quit shortly afterwards.  Albert Einstein, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."  Guilty!  I have decided to get off the insanity merry-go-round and try a different approach.

There have been some situations/relationships that God has convicted me about, that need to end/change.  I have severed one & am working on changing the other.  Of course I can't do that by myself (I have lone ranger tendencies), so I pray for help & guidance & healing and I have some sweet sisters that are holding me accountable as well.  Boundaries, this homegirl needs to not only create boundaries, but adhere to them!

Another area that God has shown me I need work in is the area of comfort as in, where do I turn for comfort instead of to Him?  One major place is food.  This is actually tricky because I'm not addicted to food & I'm not binging & purging, but there are times when I eat my feelings. No Buenos!  I want to be healthier & I want to be able to eat one brownie without wanting to eat twelve ;)

As I embark on this journey I have decided to start off with the Made to Crave Devotional 60 Days to craving God. Not Food.  I have also picked up the book as well, and I'm excited to get this started.  I'm using this blog as a way to keep me accountable for staying on track.

Day 1 - Unsettled

"Thought of the Day: Unsettle me in the best kind of way.  For when I allow Your touch to reach the deepest parts of me - dark and dingy and hidden away too long - suddenly, a fresh wind of life twists and twirls and dances through my soul."

I want to be unsettled, because I want to be the woman God wants me to be!  The "distractions or destructions" have to stop pulling my focus away from my Heavenly Father.  He loves us so much, that we can't comprehend it!  That is exciting & I am tired of living a safe existence insulated by fear & insecurity. Period.

High Five Friday!

I hope y'all are doing well!  I cannot believe that it is December 14th!!!!  

Okay with that said let's get started:

1.  Monday I FINALLY was able to spend some time with my girl Lacy!  I love this sweet friend of mine dearly.  We drank coffee at Broadway Cafe, surprised a friend & enjoyed some yummy lunch at Blanc.

2.  We started the Radical Bible Study by David Platt on Tuesday night.  I enjoyed the discussion that the questions stirred up.  I'm intrigued & excited to see how the next 5 weeks go.

3.  My December Birchbox arrived!!!!  I can't wait to try the olive eyeliner...

4.  Thursday night I had the privilege of celebrating Christmas with my buddies Chris & Ross.  Ross made us a yummy dinner, we exchanged gifts & watched Elf!!!  The boys did good let me tell you, because I have been longing for one of these for months...

They may have enjoyed my gift (Nerf guns) to them just a little bit ;)

5.  My Discipleship partner & I finally were able to meet!!! With the craziness of our schedules & it being the holidays, I was concerned we wouldn't meet again till next year...LOL!  Also tonight some of us got together & played Apples to Apples (one of few board games I actually enjoy) and Battle of the Sexes which gave me the opportunity to demonstrate my lack of Charades skills...

I hope you have a great weekend!!!

High to the Five Friday!!!

Hello Friday!!!  Let's do this ;)

1.  After many detours I made it home!!!!  I was so excited to finally make it west of the Mississippi I took a picture!!!

2.  BSF Launch Party!!!  So I am super duper excited that BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) is launching a young adults (18-35) class.  I have quite a few friends who have raved about BSF for years.  They have encouraged me to join the women's classes, but every time it was brought up I had a commitment that didn't allow for it.  I am soooooooo happy that I can join this class :)

3.  I have some Christmas projects on the horizon; soon I will be posting photos of my Christmas decor...

(Thank you Pinterest & thrift stores!!)

4.  This week I am extra grateful for Chipotle!!!!

I get the burrito bowl w/brown rice, black beans, onions & peppers, steak, mild, medium & hot salsa & guacamole....yummy!

5.  A friend gave me a Sunbeam Heated Plush Electric Throw!!!  I love it!!! It is soooooooo soft :)  If you don't have one, get one!

 (Okay so that isn't me in the picture, but it was too hard to stay cuddled up in the blanket & take my picture!)

High Five Friday from Philly!

Happy day after Thanksgiving day to you & yours :)  Let's get started....

1.  I drove to Philly to see my family!!!  I love them so much!!!

2. I met my nephew Ryder!!!!

Side note: Ryder makes #4, that is right my sister in law Monica, wrangles 4 little ones!!!  I have a hard enough time wrangling myself ;)

3.  I was given the opportunity to be both manicurist & pedicurist to my lovely nieces Hazel & Jade.

4.  I was able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my brothers, sister in law, nieces & nephews!!! (Sadly I didn't take a picture of my Maxfield)

5.  Today I got to "shadow" my older brother Joe at his job.  He works for an awesome catering company & today's wedding was at an incredible venue that I wouldn't have had an opportunity to see any other way. I really enjoyed getting to see my brother in his element :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Habakkuk 3:17-18 (ESV), "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my of my salvation."

I know that Facebook news feeds have been overrun with thankful statuses, and I did manage to make one of my own...notice I said one.  I have been a slacker in that department.  It isn't because I have nothing to be thankful for or because I am too cool school.  October & November have been a tad rough with the absence of my dad.  My 30th birthday was celebrated with an 80's themed birthday party & it was a ton of fun, filled with friends, food, laughter & lots of hairspray ;)  But it was bittersweet because this was my first birthday without a funny card from my dad signed "Love Dad."

As I type this I am in Philly awaiting my younger brother's arrival so that we can celebrate the holiday with our older brother, his wife & their kids.  I'm very thankful to be spending time with all of them & I know the food will rock the house (older bro is a chef!)!  I love them all dearly, I truly do, but he isn't here.

I have sadly returned to some old comforts to try to dull the pain of his absence.  I am grateful that they haven't been detrimental, but they haven't been righteous.  I have turned to things & people instead of the God of my salvation.  The Lord has dealt so mercifully with me this year & without His love, provision & protection, this year would have been unbearable.  I am eternally grateful that His love is bigger than the ocean & that He rains it upon us.  He has provided me with an amazing community of people who love me & want to be there for me.  However I struggle with isolating myself in order to self protect.  I wonder if this is a behavior I will always struggle with.  I hope not...yuck!  I am also very much grateful that I serve a loving & forgiving God!!

So this Thanksgiving holiday I am thankful for my Lord & Savior; my family; my friends; safe travel; and gravy ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

HiGh FiVe FrIdAy!!!

Hello Friday!!!  I am linking up as usual with Lauren for High to the Five Friday :)

1.  Saturday some wonderful friends came to my aide!  Joe & Chris built the wall of Jericho in my basement; Joe & Ross finished up & trimmed my sliding glass door (them with a nail gun...scary); Chris & Philip took on the monumental task of my lawn care; Kerri & Bethany laid the ground work of the beginning stages of organizing my life; and the guys used their muscles to move some furniture downstairs!  I don't have the words to say how grateful I am!

2.  My November Birchbox arrived!!!!

3.  I love the book of Ruth & am super excited to get my hands on....

Listen to Liz Curtis Higgs doing her Righteous Ruth Rap....LOL!!!

4.  I got to experience "A Christmas Gathering" at Kearney FBC.  A friend invited me  & I was game :)  It was night of dessert, Christmas season tips & advice, music AND gifts!  It was fun to see how excited the ladies were when it was time for a drawing :)  This sweet lady next to me won the first drawing & she was so excited that she got lost on her way back to her seat.  It was just a super fun night :)

5.  Today, I'm grateful for people that God has placed in my life to speak truth into my life.  I needed a reminder not to focus too much on the short game & keep my eye on the long game.