On My Mind.

Things on my mind lately:
- Allen's birthday (tomorrow!)
- Acteen's purity retreat (this weekend)
- Getting my braces off (date TBD)
- Extravagant grace
- Wedding invitations (in the mail as of today!)
- Changing friendships
- School (halfway through my 3rd semester. After this semester, I'll be halfway done with the program!)
- Suits (Allen's suit for the wedding cost $7.50 at a thrift store.... and it was brand new.)
- Titus 2
- Snowshoeing
- Living room forts

Love And Marriage.

The last three weeks have been a whirlwind. A whirlwind, I tell you. Like a dream.

August 16: After a delicious pizza dinner at a restaurant we've been hankering to try, after making me hike a mountain in a dress, Allen proposed. I said yes. Jade was there to capture it on film, adding to the joyous moment and fun.

August 18: We picked a date - January 10 - and the planning began. Colors, "vibe," flowers, decorations, Save the Dates, bridesmaids and groomsmen...

August 25: Realize we won't have anywhere to live after getting married (except Mom and Dad's basement).

August 28: Tour an apartment. Bottom floor. No thanks.

August 29: Tour another apartment. Top floor. Two bedrooms. Within our price range. Perfect, we'll take it.

September 3: Pay deposit and sign lease for our first apartment.

And in between: Addressing and mailing Save the Dates. Pinning. Celebrating. Laughing. Anticipating. Planning.
__________________________

This man - my best friend - will be my husband in 4 months and 1 week.  My late night talks, early morning coffee, fill the car with gas, adventuring, loving, passionate and compassionate husband.

But I am also reminded of Isaiah 54:5 "For your Maker is your Husband, the Lord of hosts is His name. The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. The God of the whole earth, He is called."

Allen will be my husband. But only my "Til Death Do Us Part" husband. The Lord is my forever husband. Allen will not be able to meet all of my needs, fulfill all of my desires, whisper answers to the longings of my heart. But the Lord will. He will indeed.

I am so excited to see how the Lord uses us together. In our church. In our apartment building. In our jobs. In the world. In Africa. In a hut. Hugging those small children who have stolen both of our hearts and are holding them ransom. I am so excited to see how we - together - will point others back to Him.

We start our pre-marital counseling with Pastor Tom in October. While I'm nervous - why? - I'm excited to continue to learn more about Allen and more about myself. The books we've been reading together have been wonderful in growing our relationship; I know this will be too.
__________________________

In Titus 2, older women are commanded to teach the younger women how to love their husbands. I praise God for my mama, who teaches me how to love my husband through the way she loves my daddy.

I am excited and humbled for the opportunity to teach my girls how to do the same. 

DC Tonight.

I'm in DC. The view from my hotel window is of the Potomac River. Very pretty.

8:30pm, and I'm in my giraffe pajamas, watching HGTV and reading for class.

25-year-old behavior? Not really. Perfectly content? You better believe it.

24 In Review.

I've been thinking about this post: 24 Things That Happened While I Was 24.

1. I broke my leg. In three places. On an island. And had to wait two weeks before I could have very invasive surgery to get it fixed. That surgery included inserting a metal rod into my tibia, placing about 5 screws in my leg, and being in various casts for three months.

2. I applied to Johns Hopkins. And was accepted.
3. I started and finished my first class. And got an A. And now I'm taking two more and I love them.
4. Two of my favorite bosses of all time left the District. And we got two replacements. The Lord is teaching me to love them.
5. The Lord gave me a "Front Row Seat" to the work He is doing in the lives of my middle through college-age girls at church. And, as this blog reminded me, I am so not needed in that.

6. I won $8.00 for my crocheted creations at the Alaska State Fair! Ha. And I took a pottery class.

7. I write a weekly newsletter and this year, it went National. It is now received by four or five different states.
8. I learned to be dependent on people for everything. Even going to the bathroom and bathing.
9. I lived on my own. And I loved it.
10. I moved back home. And I loved it.
11. I learned that there is a time for everything.
12. I've made substantial progress in paying off my Jeep.
13. I made the decision to honor God with my money (and have been reading this book to help).
14. Allen and I celebrated our one-year dating anniversary. And I was constantly challenged by his selflessness, his compassion, and his silliness.

15. I planned and executed a conference for 100+ staff members in the school district.
16. I started memorizing James (and am about 4/5 of the way through!).
17. I cut off all my hair! And I don't think I'll ever go back to long hair. And I was told I look like Anne Hathaway and Julia Roberts, circa "Hook."
18. I flew to Arizona and surprised my Grandpa with a visit. I hadn't seen him in about two years.

19. We celebrated the third annual Lemonade Stand on the Butte.

20. I worked as a model. By that, I mean I posed for some pictures for my friend Jade. Through that experience, I learned I am more business-professional than whimsy.

21. Our church finished the new sanctuary and I helped move chairs into it.
22. I learned the importance of just loving on people. And I felt the opposition that comes from that.
23. My momma became more than a momma. She became my friend.

24. I started sponsoring Cwangco, a little girl who lives in Africa, through World Vision.

Here's to the next year of being 25!

Back.

Two weeks off of classes went by in the blink of an eye.  Granted, I spent one of those weeks in Boston, the other trying to unpack from the trip and from moving back home.

But now, classes are back - two of them this semester: Branding and Advertising and Changing Behavior Through Communication.  I'm excited about both. I'm not excited about figuring out how to balance them with a full time job, Allen, my girls, Hannah's new engagement, and life.

But God is faithful.
He is good.
His timing is perfect.

Isn't that wonderful?

PS - I kind of love that it is snowing in May in Alaska. So random. But I know that even this can be used for God's divine purpose. I may never know the good that will come from May snow, but I don't need to know. I can just embrace it.

Crab Hat Princess.

I started my graduate course!  But I have seriously got to be the weirdest kid in my course.  This is what I'm wearing while studying tonight:

Most of my classmates work for the government in DC, or for the UN in Africa, or something equally impressive.  Me?  I work for the Mat-Su Borough School District.  And I love it.  I'm excited to see how this degree, the skills I'll learn, and the opportunities I'll have will help me make some of my hopes and dreams come true.

But for now, I'll watch my Power Point, wear my crab hat and crown, and just be me.

Weekend Review.

I feel so challenged and refreshed and revived after the youth retreat this weekend. And to think I almost didn't go.

Bringing glory to God's name is not something we should just talk about - we should live in a way as to actually do that. In relationships. At work. At home. At church. In all things. Suffering for doing Good is GOOD. To Him be the glory.

Prayer cannot be about me. I must rightly relate to God.
- creation to Creator
- unholy to Holy
- daughter to Father
- slave to Redeemer
- guilty to Forgiver

Failing to relate rightly to Him leads to wrong prayer. "Lord, if I bring You more honor by being in this fire, then leave me here until You are done with Your plan. If you are rightly glorified by my suffering, allow me to suffer more. Lord, do not put me where You can use me. Put me where You will be lifted up by me."

Praying and Worshiping for hours with youth - so so good. Talking with them about their desires to serve Him awakened and renewed those desires in me.

The importance of living in community and the difficulty of doing that.

Isn't He good? Isn't He powerful and right and lovely and deserving of all worship and attention and preferences? Prefer Him.

Anniversary Prayer Calendar.

For months now, I've wanted to create an Anniversary Prayer Calendar so that I would be praying for my married friends and family. And tonight, I did!

I started by making little squares out of index cards. I ripped them so that they would have straight edges... plus I like the rugged edge.

Then I rummaged through my sticker collection and started putting the numbers on! I wanted my family's to stand out a little more, so I put them on bigger tags.

 I took some of my scrapbooking supplies to make a header for the calendar.  It says "Where there is great love, there are always miracles."  Isn't that so true these days? Any time someone is married for more than five or ten years, it's seen as a miracle. And marriage is nothing short of that - a miracle. Living with someone everyday for the rest of your life? All the forgiveness and compassion and patience necessary? Miracle.

I gathered all the wedding announcements and invitations I've been saving for such a time as this and recorded the bride and groom's names on the day they got married.

My mom even sent me the anniversaries of some couples from church!  I have 28 couples on my calendar right now. Fun fact - from my India Family that is married so far, Steve (and Shelly) and Daniel (and Leah) are on the 1st and Kyle (and Laura) and Hannah (and Galend) are on the 2nd. That means Jordan (and Daniel) and I should each get married on the 1st or 4th. Isn't that funny? 

So here it is. I spaced out the squares, added some brads and yarn to my siblings' and parents' days, and added the word "Pray" to the bottom. 

I'm really really happy about how it turned out!  Today - the 10th - had Emily and Matt on it. I loved spending today praying for them and their marriage!  For it to be strengthened, for them to grow together and in the Lord, for increased love, patience, and forgiveness between them.

What a special thing, to be interceding on behalf of my precious friends and family, for their marriages. I hope someone does that for me one day.

Pudding Cups.

Good Idea:

Mix instant pudding in a two-cup measuring cup that has a spout. Pour it straight into individual serving size Tupperware containers. Put them in your fridge to settle.

Pros:

- only one dirty dish (plus your whisk - of which I somehow have five, all different sizes....???)

- quick grab-and-go addition to lunches

- instant serving size! no over-eating

- they look so cute lined up in your fridge!

Cooking.

I'm cooking dinner for two girls tonight, two girls with whom I was good friends in high school. Megan and Maria. They've both been gone - to college and (in one case) in a different country. I'm excited to spend time with them tonight!

I'm making them dinner using THIS RECIPE - aren't they so cute?! I thought about taking pictures of the process, but she did such a great job on her website, that I'll let her speak.

While cooking, I am snacking on the dehydrated kiwi I made this week.

I'm feeling quite domestic, to say the least.

2012 And 2013.

Oh yeah, 2012 ended. It kind of just...slipped out for me. Mostly because I was at my parent's home, totally sick (as in, sinuses draining, sore throat, cough, etc.) and because my boyfriend was flying across the country to be with his mom, who is even more totally sick (as in, infection to the bone, open heart surgery, 6-bypass, breathing machine, etc.).

But okay, a year in review. The others are doing it:
- I fell in love again.
- I flew to Alabama.
- I broke my leg in three places and had surgery to fix it.
- I moved into my own apartment.
- I got a new job and a raise at work.
- I bought a new car.
- I was accepted to my first and only choice of grad school: Johns Hopkins University.
- I started leading the middle and high school girls at church.
- I laboriously crocheted two stockings.
- Mom and I went to a work conference together.
- Dad bought my a new gun.
- Brad and Jeff both made it back safely from their deployments.
- I won third place (for a sweater) and second place (for a pair of gloves) at the Alaska State Fair (and deposited the prize $8 into my Roth IRA).

Phew. Not bad.

2013:
- Start Grad School
- Get back in shape (along with millions of other people)
- Not compare myself to others
- Read through the Bible
- Be the kind of person I want to be friends with.

Shoes For Africa.

Probably the perfect Halloween.

I had my girls over - six of them - for dinner tonight. Soup and grilled meat and cheese sandwiches. We ate in my apartment, talked, laughed, and then... went shoe shopping.

We had the opportunity to buy shoes for an orphanage in Africa. So I encouraged my girls to bring a few bucks to buy some shoes for the kids. And they did.

So together, we drove to Wal-Mart. We ate candy from the candy dishes. We ran up and down the shoe aisles, counting money, totaling costs, replacing some shoes with others, before finally settling on thirty - THIRTY - pairs of shoes to send to the kids. What a delight, to see the girls agonizing over which shoes they thought would be best.

Pink sparkles for the girls, regardless of how practical they were.
Brown work boots for a little boy, because they were so cute.
Four pairs of $2.00 sandals for babies, because it is hot in Africa.

Then praying in Wal-Mart over the shoes, asking God to bless the feet that will wear them.

What a mighty God we serve.

List Your Top Five Hobbies And Why You Love Them.

- Crocheting. I love taking a ball of yarn and turning it into something with a series of knots and loops.  It is relaxing.  I enjoy making things for people - blankets, slippers, toys, hats... there is so much time and consideration that goes into each thing.
- Biking. So much faster and more fun than running.  Racing into the wind, legs up and down, skidding across rocks... thrilling.
- Teaching. I like explaining things effectively and helping people understand why it matters.  'Nuf said.
- Taking pictures.  Oh, to capture those special moments in time!  A picture says a thousand words.  I can look at pictures from India or last summer and instantly be back in that place and time - same smells, same tastes, same heat...
- Planking.  Really, this just signifies every ridiculous thing I do including, but not limited to, marathon thrifting, taking pictures of my Jeep's miles as they rack up, etc.  Life is full of and composed of moments like that.

If You Could Have One Superpower, What Would It Be And What Would You Do With It First?

I would stop time in honor of those late night talks with dear friends, time on top of mountains selling lemonade, the sun shining as I drive my Jeep, and pure ridiculous awesomeness that comes with day-to-day life.

That's what I would do.

Describe Three Significant Memories From Your Childhood.

I feel like I've covered some significant childhood memories already, what with my love note to Mikey and all.  But I'll try to think of three new old ones.

- Mom told me to wait, but I started walking down the stairs anyway.  And I don't know what happened - maybe there was a toy in the way.  Or maybe my feet just stumbled.  But somehow, all of a sudden, I was tumbling down the stairs.  And then...I landed at the bottom and the pain hit.  Dad took me to the ER and they took X-Rays before wrapping my four-year-old arm in a bright pink cast.  I had to shower with a plastic bag over my arm, and I couldn't go out to play, but everyone signed my cast. That was my first real injury - the first trip to the ER that I remember.
- Mom and Dad gave me Molly for Christmas when I was in fourth grade. I loved her. That next January, we went to my Grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary.  I took Molly with me. I remember - very specifically - sitting in the hotel room with my Grandma, showing her my doll, sharing how special Molly was and thinking, "Of course Grandma loves Molly!"  And now, I think she loved that moment with me much more than she liked the doll.  I miss her.  I wish I had written her more letters before she passed away.
- One summer, Dad coached my baseball team.  I was awful.  I mean, really really terrible.  I got hit by the ball nearly every time I was up to bat that season, couldn't catch or throw well, but enjoyed hanging out in the dugout and on the field!  That season solidified the fact that I have very poor hand-eye coordination, that I prefer individual sports to team sports, and that I'm a better cheerleader than MVP.

Describe Five Strengths You Have.

- Faith.  I really do think my faith is pretty strong.  I have seen the Father work too much in my life for me to really doubt He knows what He is doing.
- My legs.  I can leg press about 450 pounds.
- My mind. I like mind games, like Sudoku and this gear game I have on my iPhone. And I like learning new things.
- Teaching. Totally a strength.
- Working with my hands. I like making and doing new things.

What Is Your Dream Job And Why?

A motivational speaker/Adobe form maker/archaeologist.

I would make forms for people to fill out so they could apply to come to my motivational archaeological digs in Africa or the Middle East.  We would dig for bones and play Shuffle Your Buns and I would share great speeches and stories.

It would be legen... wait for it.... dary.

I like to give speeches.  I have never been afraid of public speaking.  I like telling stories and sharing my thoughts and whatnot.

And I love Adobe.  My boss' ask me to make Adobe forms a lot, just because I like it so much.  I am such a dork.

And I've always wanted to go on an archaeological dig.  Discovering things that people did before... finding their ways of life... who they are and what they do and how they lived.  It seems magical.

What Are Five Things That Make You Most Happy, Right Now?

- Serving at my church.  My GAs are so delightful.  I know I say that all the time, but God has really blessed my time with them.
- My relationship with Allen.  Everything just feels so normal and easy and comfortable, like I've always known him, and he's just been waiting in the background.  Does that make sense?
- My Jeep! AKA, the BEAST! I love this thing.
- Summer :)
- The Word.  It is refreshing and wonderful.

List 20 Random Facts About Yourself.

- I have pink braces, but will get them changed on May 17.
- When I check tags on laundry and see that they say "tumble dry," as I put them in the dryer, I always say, "Tumble Bumble!" and I don't know why.
- I still like to play with Legos.
- I recently bought the COOLEST crab pin ever from a thrift store.
- Sometimes, I end up sleeping width-wise in my bed instead of length-wise.
- I would get married in Vegas.
- What I really want for my birthday: to know I am in the Lord's will in every area in my life.
- I haven't been to the ER for six months (which is good for me!)
- I alternate between calling my Jeep The Beast and Violet.
- I floss my teeth every night.
- I want to adopt small African children (and will name one of them Katie, as promised.).
- I use a Mac at home and a Dell at work. And I like them both.
- A student worker gave me a baked potato at work the other day. And I ate it. It was marvelous, actually.
- I ran a little over three miles, very slowly, for the first time in years.
- My GAs just crack me up.  They are so funny and clever and I love to spend time with them.
- Giraffes are my favorite animals (at least for now).
- If I could live anywhere, I would live in North Carolina, on the West Coast, or in Africa. But Alaska is good for now.
- Every week, I send out roughly 5 mass e-mails at work, most of which the Superintendent reads.  Apparently, she thinks I am a good writer.
- My birthday is in two weeks!!!!!
- For a long time, I didn't like the color purple but now I do.  In fact, purple and green are my favorite colors.

Work And Love.

I got a raise at work.

Well, technically, I got a new job: Business Systems Analyst.

I could spend time saying, "This is NOT how I anticipated my life going!" or I could rejoice in God's provision and blessing and Greatness.  I'll choose the latter.  Let me brag on Him for a while:

The Father is so darn Good.  I mean, let's get real.  Within two years of graduating from college, all of my student loans are paid off and I purchased a brand new car off the showroom floor at the car dealer. My parents have continued to let me live at home. Relationships are growing and I am co-leading the youth mission trip again this summer.

He has blessed, as He always does.

I get another raise at work on July 1.  My goal is to have my Jeep paid off by the time I turn 27.  That's doable.  Because of my recent purchase, however, I may wait until fall to find my own place.  Get the start of my car payments under my belt.

I am loving living at home lately - it's been fun to spend time with my parents and see them live life as a couple still totally in love, after nearly 32 years. Aren't they SO cute?!

I want a love like that - where I can be totally myself, absolutely comfortable and happy with the person, and confident that they feel the same way.

PS - my birthday is in two weeks!