Day Four

A picture of your night...

Today, Mom and I helped paint my Aunt JoBug's ceiling, which was harder than you might think!  Got paint in my eye more than once, and my arms are pretty tired.

(This pic is JB finally removing the tape when we got finished.)

Then Malori met the 3 of us for an early dinner at Teds, which was fun and the perfect dinner choice!

(*Also perfect is that our jury trial for next week settled, so I get to be home a bit longer, help out here, and avoid the icy drive!)

As for the rest of my night, it'll be spent hanging out with my parents and doing some of my Breaking Free "homework."  GIGATT! :)

Thankful Thursday (17)

Wow, this is a lot of blogging lately.  Fortunately, we're still snowed in, so there's not much to do besides read, blog, jog on the treadmill, eat, and laze around watching TV.  It's been great! :)

Today, I am thankful for...

1. The biggest blizzard of snow in my lifetime, and having four days off work. :)
2. Getting to spend most of this week and weekend relaxing and hanging out with my parents in Midwest City!
3. Stepping out in the snow just long enough to take a few pics of Rach, Josh, Triston, and Carter. 

4. Josh, for coming over and shoveling the massive pile of snow off my parents' driveway so I'll be able to drive home at some point. :)

5. Anna, Amanda, and Sarah for their friendliness and making me feel so welcome in my new Community Group.  I'm already excited for the girls' beach vacation this summer! :)
6. My friend, Tara Lynn Thompson, for writing this post, which I really LOVE: http://taralynnthompson.blogspot.com/2011/02/to-compromise-or-not-to-compromise-that.html
7. And this one:  http://taralynnthompson.blogspot.com/2011/01/when-celebrities-speak-truthon-accident.html  Loving her blog lately!!  Just for fun, here's an old school pic of us celebrating her birthday at my place. :)

And now, my song of the week = Come Home by One Republic! 

"To fight for you is all I've ever known..." Love it.

Day Three

A picture of the cast from your favorite show...

I'm quite the TV girl, so picking a favorite among all my shows is difficult.  Honorable mention goes to Chuck, Reba, Friends, and The Wonder Years. :)  But I went with my top two, the well-written shows with characters I love that I never seem to get tired of watching...

The Gilmore Girls!  LOVE Rory and Lorelai... and of course, Jess!

...and Frasier!  Not sure when this trumped Friends in my mind, but there it is. :)

Day Two

A picture of you and the friend you have been the closest with the longest...

I've only known her for slightly over 3 years, but it says a friend I've been closest with the longest, so that's definitely Malori Riah!  Soooo thankful for this friendship!! =)

MiMi's Cafe (yum!) after her swearing in ceremony in OKC!

Race for Freedom at Lake Hefner (the 10k turned 5k)!  :)

Our last "roommate pic" before she moved to OKC. :(

And because it's February, our Valentines "Craftacular" pic!  Yay!!

Day One

A picture of yourself with ten facts about you...



(This picture from 2007 and my hair hasn't been that brassy shade of blond for quite some time, but today we're having an awesome beautiful blizzard, so it felt appropriate. :))

1. For many reasons, including snow and my birthday and Valentines, February is my favorite month of the year!  So today is a good day. =)
2. I am happy to be snowed in with my family and spending the rest of the week with them!
3. I love cereal, but always wait for it to get soggy before I eat it.  Some friends find this disturbing, but it's delicious!!
4. I'm sitting by the fireplace watching the blizzard, and eating perfectly soggy Coco Pebbles as I type this.
5. I am a Christian, and I am so thankful for God's grace and love!
6. I work as a court reporter, and every time I tell someone that, they say, "Oh, like..." and then do the little typing motion with their hands. lol  Yep, that's the one.
7. I am a member of the Church at BattleCreek, and really love it!
8. My favorite author is John Eldredge, because he is a man who pursues the HEART of God and understands the heart and purpose of men and women.  I highly recommend his books!
9. Red is my favorite color; pink is a close second.  I also love roses and chocolate, and love sending and receiving cards... so Valentines Day has always seemed fun to me! :)
10. I have had my moments of feeling empty or sadness over singledom, but lately, I'm genuinely happy and finding real peace and satisfaction and purpose in God... to a degree I'm certain no man or marriage or children will ever provide!! :)

 One more fun snow picture... me and Rach on Christmas Eve 2009.

"You do not have to worry..."

Totally random, but I just realized I've been humming Greg Brady's "Clowns never laughed before, beanstalks never grew, ponies never ran before, till I met you..." song for a while this afternoon!  How on earth did that get stuck in my head!?  Made me laugh. :)

Anyway, while walking to the elevator, I noticed the paper from a fortune cookie sitting on the bench in the hall.  Being a lover of fortune cookies and fortune cookie messages, I stopped to read it:

"You do not have to worry about your future."

And for whatever reason, it didn't feel cheesy.  It felt like a little note from God... one that could apply to everyone, but something that He meant for me to read at that moment.  (Not as a promise that nothing will go wrong, but as a reminder that I am not in control and worrying serves no purpose.)  Simple, I know, but I decided to post it in case anyone else needs that encouragement.  You do not have to worry about your future.  Marriage, money, health, career, trials, friendships, your heart's desires -- pray about it, and choose to trust God.  God sees you and cares about the desires of your heart, and He has a unique plan and knows the right timing for your life.  When you feel lost or overwhelmed, He will be with you.  When you don't understand His purpose in some heartbreaking event or trial, trust His heart.  And when others do something to intentionally harm you, be confident that He will work out it for your good if you trust Him. 

"But I am trusting You, O Lord, saying, 'You are my God.  My future is in Your hands!'" 
(Psalm 31:14,15)

Thankful Thursday (16)

"Praise the Lord!  For He has heard my cry for MERCY. 

The Lord is my strength and shield. 

I TRUST Him with all my heart. 

He helps me, and my heart is filled with JOY. 

I burst out in songs of THANKSGIVING." 

~Psalm 28:6-7

Love, love, love it!! =)

This week, I'm thankful for...

1. The prayers of my friends... thinking of nine specific people (those I know well enough to confide in) who have all been encouraging and very willing to help when needed, who are sincerely praying with and for me at this time.  And that (to have that depth of friendship with people who love God, and that my family and I are covered in prayer during any trial) means a lot to me!!!
2. Brownies... because let's be honest, I'll always be thankful for chocolate! :)

3. The Holy Spirit.... specifically for teaching me and leading me toward balance!   (On food and exercise, mercy and truth, etc.)
4. Great conversations -- (being understood; fun, interesting, uplifting, with genuine connection) -- including talks with Tara and Liz during our dinner at Napolis, with Mom this weekend, and with Malori most every time we talk! :)
5. 

   That my kitchen "remodel" has officially begun (very strange having no sink and these LOUD dryers going all day)!   Also thankful that insurance is taking care of everything but the deductible - hooray!
6. 

   American Idol, aka the Steven Tyler show.  (Shocking, I know - I really didn't think they would suck me in this year.  I had no intention of watching and deleted it from the shows to record in my living room, but forgot to do so in the exercise room, so I decided to watch an episode last week while jogging.  Didn't think it would be any good without Simon, but it turns out Steven Tyler's bizzare, flirty personality really cracks me up, and I'm a much bigger fan of J-Lo than Kara or Paula!) Well played, AI producers... I applaud you! :)
7. Finally (fiiiiinalllyyyyyy) finding an awesome "Community Group" at BattleCreek!  Very, very excited about the great discussions, and looking forward to really getting to know these people... thanks, God!! :)

And now, my song of the week = Everything to Me by Avalon!