Did You See The Moon Tonight?

It was beautiful. It was a full moon and it looked huge! It was a nice surprise when I walked outside tonight. It was also a good reminder of how big the world is in comparison to the moon--and how much more there is of our world outside of Fresno...and outside of California...and outside of the U.S...

Top Ten Visited Sites On The Internet

Thought this was interesting... One day my blog will make this list...ha.

1. Yahoo

2. Google

3. Myspace

4. You Tube

5. Microsoft Network

6. Facebook

7. Ebay

8. Windows Live

9. Craigslist.org

10. Wikipedia

3 4

34...that's how many times my cell phone rang today. No joke. I counted in my call log. And the day isn't even over yet. I'm not trying to say I'm super cool--because many of you out there know me and know the truth...I'm not an A teamer. But there's no denying that my phone will ring and ring and ring.

To Forgive Is To Surrender

I was reading today in Luke the story of Jesus Anointed By a Sinful Woman. As I read the end of the story, a piece of it stuck out to me. Towards the end of the story, Jesus reminds Simon that "those who are forgiven much, love much and those who have been forgiven little, love little". Hmmmm...

I don't think Jesus is making the case that the more sinful the acts one commits before they become a Christian, the more they love Him after they're born again. I believe Jesus is making a point that Christians have to be consciously aware of how truly depraved we are, whether a prostitute or an Eagle Scout, and to the extent that we are aware of our total and complete depravity — that we bring nothing to the table but a sinful heart — that is the extent to which we love God.

And in order to forgive others or allow ourselves to be forgiven, we must surrender our hurts and pains to the only one who offers complete and utter healing. And by no means am I saying that's easy...but it's good...

And there is something about being around people who have been forgiven much and have done the long hard work of the soul. There's a freedom in people who have truly experienced God's grace, and recognize and understand His grace in ways that others have yet to encounter or fully grasp.

I have a dear friend who I admire deeply, because when I'm around her, it's evident that she has done the long hard work of the soul. She has allowed Jesus to intersect her life and has forgiven others and in turn, has allowed herself to be forgiven. She brings a refreshing presence to those around her and it is clear that the Lord has worked and continues to work in her life. She is an older friend of mine and each time I see her, her inner beauty astonishes me--I wanna be like her as I continue to grow up.

Because yes, I am surely still growing...

I'm Pretty Sure It Was A Fish...

I went floating on the Kings River on Friday and it was a ton of fun. We had food, lots of big rafts and a good flowing river. The river is pretty low this year due to the lack of rain/snow, so in some areas it's easy to stand up in. I was floating along in a black innertube with my feet dangling over the side in the water. I was enjoying a rice crispy treat, when all of the sudden I felt something nibble at my toes. I'm pretty sure it was a fish or some sort of amphibian. Needless to say I let out a little girl like scream and quickly rearranged myself in the tube with my feet out of the water.

I know it seems silly--I mean it's a river so of course there would be fish in there. But I didn't expect them to attack my feet!

And then to add on to the interesting sights/experiences...

As I'm floating down the river with a few other girls, we come upon a rope swing and about 7 high school boys taking turns swinging and then landing in the water. One of the guys had the idea that they should all strip down and swing on it naked with their swim shorts on their head. I looked up and saw one guy jumping in the water and turned my head down and said "Hmmmm, was that a naked guy on that swing" and the other girls, also laughing with their heads down said "Yep, sure was." Of course the guys found it to be hilarious and were clearing enjoying themselves.

You never know what might happen or what you might see when you go floating down the river...

Now and Then...

Wow, my hair used to be really dark. But the blond is coming back baby...

Then...



Now...

Kristin Is Married!

Here Come Tim and Faith...We Are Excitied!!!

Things I've Been Learning Lately...

--The best things in life are hardly ever the easiest.

--There is a difference between "standing for something" and "living for something". You might stand for something, but what do you live for?

--Everyone has issues going on in their life that are unseen by others. Everyone does--and we must not forget that.

--Milk does a body good.

--It's at the moment when you want to quit or stop or give up on whatever you're doing that you can't and shouldn't--perseverance builds character and character isn't formed over night.

--The days go by so fast...so very fast...

--I'm not sure which is harder: Loving others or allowing yourself to be loved.

--It's difficult to live in the unknown or "gray" areas of life.

--God doesn't stop pursuing us. We may try to tell Him to be quiet and drown him out with other things in life, or feel we've messed up too many times, but He doesn't stop. Ever.

Pictures to be posted soon....

--Camping

--Bachlorette Party

--Kristin and Anthony's Wedding at Bass Lake

--Dancing at Farmer's Market

--Shaver Lake Outing

--And I'm going floating down the Kings River on Friday...so assuming I don't drop the camera in the water, there should be some pics of that too.

Things are still busy--but all is well.

Again, sorry for the lack of posts. I've gotta go pack my bags again right now...

Happy Birthday Jen!

Hope you're day was filled with wonderful things and some good wine :) You are truly the best friend a girl could ask for. I hope today you are reminded of how much you are loved by so many and how much you add to the lives of those around you. You are beautiful Jen. Twenty three...I remember when we turned thirteen. The days have gone by and I have been blessed to have walked those pivotal years with you by my side.

And hey, there's still two hours left...so don't give up on what your birthday might bring you... :)

Love you so.

Busy Days

The days have been full and the nights have seemed short lately. Busy days are upon me as I prepare for students to come back, being a bridesmaid in a wedding (which is out of town) and preparing to go out of town three weekends in a row. I am entering into my busy season of the year.

So in light of all the busyness, I may not be able to post as much in the next two weeks. I'll do my best to pop in every now and again when I can, but I just wanted to give the four of you who read this a heads up about it :)

Right now my legs are throbbing and the days ahead appear be long and busy. I was literally running around (or as best as I can run with a broken tail bone) doing things this morning before work and I got an overwhelming sense to stop. Just stop.

So I stopped, I sat down on the bed, and took a moment to breath. It was in those moments that Jesus reminded me that though life is busy, I can not loose the heart behind why I was doing all that I did. It's easy to run from one thing to the next, here and there, pack this, email them, call her, etc... but I can't forget that all of those things have people involved in them and I can't loose sight or miss an opportunity to have genuine conversations with the people I see.

Life can easily become a "to-do" list, but behind all those "to-dos" are people who God places in my life for very specific reasons. You never know who you might meet and what opportunities will be put in your path. Lord knows I can become so narrow minded about things and tasks that I need to be reminded that His plans are bigger and better than mine.

I Don't Like Salt

I just had a handful of roasted salted almonds and they were delicious. However, when I was finished I still hand salt from the almonds on my fingers and my eye itched so I rubbed it and thus I now have salt in my eye...and it hurts.

Lesson of the day: Don't rub your eye after eating salted almonds. It's a good thing I wasn't eating a jalapeno...

Who Would I Be?

I was tagged by Eric to do this...here we go...

If I could be a famous historical figure I would be... Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) - This man served as a U.S. president for twelve years and is known as a central figure in the 20th century during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war. Talk about a man with a lot on his plate...but he handled it so well. I think this is one of the reasons why I like to watch the movie "Pearl Harbor" because I am reminded of how crazy a time it must have been during WWII and FDR had no choice but to step up and lead a country who had been hit...and hit hard.

If I could be a celebrity I would be... Mary Tyler Moore. She was beautiful and I LOVED to watch the Mary Tyler Moore show with my mom. In many ways she reminds me of my own mom--and that makes me smile.

If I could be a famous athlete I would be...an Olympic gymnast. I still don't understand how they do it and make it look so easy.

If I could be a famous musician I would be...Bono. For one, he has a cool name. For two, I like U2's music and three he stands for something bigger than himself.

If I could be a famous Christian mover and shaker I would be...C.S. Lewis. I love reading his writings. I love that he is raw and thought-provoking in what he says. And he never pretended to try and have all the answers, but rather simply laid out facts and thoughts and leaves it to the reader to decide. "A Grief Observed" is one of my favorite of Lewis' books. Talk about raw emotion as he writes and grieves about loosing his wife--who was undoubtedly the love of his life--but through the grief he brings it back to the hope he held and the sovereignty of God...whether seen or unseen, describable or indescribable, there is a purpose for everything.

Okay, I tag Derek and Jamie and Jen (even though you don't have a blog, although you should, you still should do this :)

***And as a disclaimer, this was a lot harder to do then I thought. I started it and had to save it and come back to it days later. Watch, you start it and you'll see...

One of my new favorite foods...

I'm munching on them right now. They are really good and handy to have around when you want something to munch on. You can buy them at Trader Joes. Oh and they're "heart healthy" so I'm assuming that means if you have a broken heart, it helps make things better. I don't have a broken heart, but I still enjoy eating them!

And I must give credit where credit is due...J.lo introduced me to these goodies. She always has my back and is looking out for my heart...

A Season For Everything...

A friend came in my office the other day and we had a good 45 minute chat. We caught up on various life events and laughed and joked about all sorts of random things. He told me a few months ago his mom was diagnosed with cancer so I asked him how she was doing. He was quiet for a minute, then looked at me, shook his head and said, "Not so good".

It's at that moment when you really don't know what to say, but I sat there looking at him, trying to grasp and wrap my mind around all of the different thoughts and feelings that were inside of him. He said, "Well, how much do you want to know?" I told him I wanted to know whatever he was comfortable sharing.

He told me that his mom was diagnosed with cancer and it initially looked to be under control, but the cancer recently came back and took a very aggressive approach. The cancer had spread to various parts of her body and chemotherapy wasn't an option, but rather it was a necessity to keep her alive.

Lots of questions arise when a loved one becomes ill and simply put, there are never any easily explainable answers. I can't fully comprehend the pain and questions that arise in such a difficult situation, because I myself have never personally had to deal with a loved one's serious illness. As I sat and listened to him explain the situation with his mom and how his family is handling it all, tears began to fill my eyes as I thought of the battle this family is going through and will continue to fight in the coming months.

After he left and I was sitting there still with a few tears, I thought of Ecclesiastes and how there is a season for everything and a purpose (whether seen or unseen) for the journeys we encounter in life. Though we don't know when each of the different seasons will come our way, I cling to the promise and belief in a God who knows and understands more than I ever will and I trust, believe and have seen God create beauty from very difficult times.

Whatever season you find yourself in right now, may you find comfort in the following:

For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8