Lord, make me free like a baby birdie

Yesterday morning Baby Bear came running inside and asked Mama Bird and I to check out the baby birds in the nest a bird built in our patio cover. We went outside to see their growth and realized the birds were ready to get spread their wings and fly.

{via}

We were all so excited for them, but with two dogs running amuck in the yard grew nervous. We put Pennie (our bird-obsessed pup) away in the dog run and Calvin (our pain-in-the-neck old man terrier) took off in the house to avoid the pen. We watched as baby birdie one leaped from the nest, flapped his wings clumsily, and then hit the ground. Baby birdie pulled himself up into a pretty little posture and as he did so, Calvin came running out of the house and gobbled the birdie up in one bite.

It was such a sad little moment. We yelled at him no and he finally dropped the baby birdie, but he was already dead. We locked Calvin in the dog run before baby birdie two decided to get his flight on. No movement from the nest left Mama Bird and I bored so we went in to finish getting ready for the day. Suddenly Baby Bear said the other bird came out of the nest and we had to see. Baby birdie two was sort of a hot feathery mess laying face down on the ground. We thought he too had died. Suddenly a little flap of the wing and he was all put back together!

Baby Bear had to leave for school but laid down his compassionate, animal-loving law. No dogs out until baby birdie two was gone. The backyard needed to be searched before the dogs could be free to roam. We all agreed.

Baby birdie two flew the coop yesterday sometime. Thank goodness, all alive and well. But as I think of the excitement of the morning, I can't help but think of God. Of His love and provisions for us.

But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them; and often He restrained His anger, and did not arouse His wrath." -Psalm 78:38

Just like Baby Bear did for the birdie, God provides for us to fly, to soar, and to fall without being gobbled up by a ready-to-pounce enemy (or Jack Russell Terrier!). Much like the dog run, God's grace and mercy keeps us from becoming history before our time. Much like a backyard free of dogs for many hours, God gives us time and space to grow while delivering us from deadly danger.

This Friday afternoon, I pray for the freedom to grow and spread my wings while taking comfort in the grace of the God who provides safety for me. I pray that I can lean into the beautiful heart of God that loves my feathery mess of a self... Even when I'm not quite ready to fly. I pray with much thanksgiving for the sweet baby birds that gave me a lesson while doing precisely what God made them to do, if only I could hold tight to my purpose like them.

Holy Smokeout Life's Busy!

Sorry I didn't post yesterday... I was so excited about how many people participated in the Top Ten Tuesdays and yesterday was going to be my chance to catch up with everything, then I forgot my computer cord at work. Yeah which means, my dead computer wasn't going to be putting anything online for me. So, I didn't get to blog. And I really wanted to spend some time writing on my day off from work. Oh well, no blog yesterday, but a new one today! I do hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me!

Well, marriage classes that J and I are taking through church have been fantastic... We are learning a lot and growing, not only together but as individuals too. I'm slowly learning how to communicate with a man without going all emotional on him... and he's getting better at understanding my point despite all the water works that often come with it! (Please tell me other women have this problem, too!) But more importantly, I'm loving J more now than ever and it's growing by the minute (I know this sounds like a ridiculous cliche, but it's the truth).

One of the first pictures we ever took together... Who would have known it was the beginning of forever?

But, moving towards marriage, I have also started training twice a week with a personal trainer... She wants me to drop ten pounds (and I want me to lose it too!), so the next five months are going to be hard working, careful eating months. A single nice arms compliment will make it all worth it in looking at my wedding pictures!  So meals with be more protein packed and I'm going to be working on eating better carbohydrates (you didn't know there were good ones either? I'll post on that too I promise!). I will be sharing all the crazy new things I'm learning in hopes one other person will learn something new too!

And I'm working. Not the hardly working kind of work, but the working hard kind. I've been so busy during the day at work that I'm falling behind on my blogging... Then I get home and I want to relax, spend time with J or my family, and catch up on the little life things that seem to be escaping me. By the time that I realize I meant to blog, it's late and I am exhausted. So there's got to be a new routine set up so my heart doesn't break into little tiny pieces missing you all!

On a light, happy, super exciting note: I have hit and flown by the fifty follower mark... With all the new followers I am itching to do my very first giveaway... I'm not quite ready yet, but stay tuned because I'm just loving all the new people that I'm meeting and would love to be able to share with something I love with one of my lucky readers! (Or at least, I think you're lucky!) I'm thinking of painting something... Check out this and decide what you think... Would you be interested at all??

What's keeping you busy folks? 

It seems like we've all got a GIANT list of things going on right about now... 

Plus the warm weather adds to it! 

P.S. Are you taking part in the simply sweet ingredient challenge? There's still time!

Saturday's Simply Sweet Space

Over the last year and a half I have lived in a simply sweet studio apartment where I have had the opportunity to decorate, cook, invent, and create... I have decided to do a little blogging mini-series, Saturday's Simply Sweet Space. This week it will feature ten things I simply sweet about my kitchen! 

1. My soap. 

Hand and dish because I love it so. 

J.R. Watkins Lemon scented soap.

Not only is it environmentally friendly, but it smells wondrous and makes things shiny and clean!

2. My cock olive oil canister.

I started this ridiculous joke with my mom when she bought me this giant Hershey's kiss shaped rooster. 

I called it The Cock and it looks over my kitchen a top my fridge. 

Well, we couldn't stop with just one. 

I have gifted her many and she has gifted me some in return. 

We both have this little cocky number and it makes me happy to oil anything up! 

3. My cookbooks. 

Aren't these just school binders? 

Yep, they are. 

But you know what, they hold all my recipes. 

I love that about them. 

And the pink floral and green go so well with my whole apartment's colors. 

4. My pink apron. 

A dear friend gave me this. 

I love it. 

The pink, the little ball things, the pattern, the pockets. 

It's amazing. 

And makes cooking more fun! 

5. My tea mug. 

My gramcracker had one just like this and now my mom has it. 

I'm a copy cat. 

It was cheap, it's simple, but I love it. 

And the tea inside, yum pure delish! 

6. My knife set. 

Well, technically J's. 

I am marrying a man of utility... What does that matter?

You see, this knife set was what J asked for for Christmas. 

It's in my kitchen. 

7. This is a lamp burger. 

(It looks like burger but has a funny French accent thing that sounds like brojae)

Not only is it pink and antique looking... 

But it has an oil wick inside and when you light the stone on fire 

it emits the most wondrous smells! 

8. Fresh cotton in Mama Bird's vase with my journal. 

I leave this sitting on my counter to remind me of the months to come. 

J and I are having a very unique wedding. 

Cotton, unbleached, seeds in tact, sitting in the boll is going to be our "flower". 

Isn't it pretty?

You should feel it. 

And the quote on my journal is fabulous: 

"Just when the caterpillar thought life was over, it became a butterfly." 

9. Pictures! 

I love pictures of the ones I love. 

I keep them all over my apartment... Even in my kitchen! 

They aren't all lined up like this, but you get the point! 

(Please excuse the counter covered in papers... It is finals season)

10. My pretty pink princess Kitchenaid mixer.

Santa brought me this. 

What a sweet man he is! 

He must realize that Mrs. Klaus can only make great cookies 

and cakes and muffins and bread with the help of this little machine. 

What's your simply sweet space? 

And what makes it so simply sweet?

Please share! 

Daily Confession: I Got an Award!

Well, I am so proud to share with all of you that I received my FIRST blogging award EVER! I can't tell you how complimented I feel and what a lucky little lady I am to have received this honor from a sweet southern blogger I truly admire! Meet the oh-so-special Amber (what a great name too!) at her blog, Brunch with Amber... Prepare yourself for her amazing honesty, witty writing, and super stylish self!

Me, stylish? Woot woot!

Being this stylish really isn't easy... But here are four rules to make your style shine! 

1. Link back and thank the person that gave you the award. 

2. Share 7 things about yourself. 

3. Award 5 recently discovered blogs. 

4. Contact them and tell them about their sweet style! 

Seven Stylish Things About me: 

1. I have a scarf collection. It's ridiculous and it's color coordinated. They are just such a perfect addition to ANY outfit ANY time of year!

Yep! The rest of my apartment is this ridiculously organized. 

2. I love Target. They have everything I need in one place! Being on a budget doesn't hinder my style, because Target is so good at making cute, but so affordable clothes and accessories and shoes. (Guilty admission: I bought three pairs of flats from Target last weekend!)

Aren't they fun? And so affordable!

3. I am a major bookworm. I've always loved to read... And still do! (And in about a week I won't have any assigned reading left to get in the way of all the fun books I have waiting around!) 

These are all the books I have collected over the last couple of years
and the anticipation to read them all is just killing me!

4. I sew. Not clothes, just quilts and other fun household things. I don't really love the whole strict pattern thing... So I just sew freehand for fun. 

I made this blanket that J and I wrapped up in for our engagement pictures!

5. Being in a sorority has taught me to love over-the-top costumes and dress up. J and I have been absurd in our outfits! I always make some part of our outfits, if not the whole thing...

Thing 1 and Thing 2... With Taylor Swift and Kanye West!

Juno and Bleeker. And that belly is handmade because I'm not having a baby any time soon!

And you've got a friend in us... Jessie and Woody.
I homemade our outfits... or home-embellished them!

6. I second guess so many of my decisions. The only one I haven't ever thought twice about... Marrying my oh-so-sweet J.

The night, just minutes, after he proposed!

7. I have two tattoos. Both on my feet. Both scripture.

Now that I'm done talking about myself... 

Meet MY new favorite bloggers!

1. Travel Babbles

2. the little red house

3. A White Picket Fence

4. Three in the Nest

5. little girl in the big world

Check these ladies out... They're all sweet, hilarious, creative, and so stylish! 

Family Feature: Bubba's Birthday Dinner

Bubba turns 19 next week. He goes to college in SLO and we won't be able to see him on his actual birthday. So tonight, we celebrate!

Here is the celebration dinner! Please excuse the ridiculous Pennie Pickle that's sticking her head out from under the table. She never gets to come inside, but it's cold so she got to come in and wouldn't get out. 

The Birthday Boy with his birthday dinner and plate. It's your day! 

This salad is just so amazing! It's Cara Cara Oranges with Mozzarella and basil. Just like a Caprese salad but with oranges. The vinaigrette was absolutely delicious with orange juice in it... Yum! 

Popsicle wanted to show just how much he loves his meal. He didn't want to stop eating for a smiley picture. 

Birthday boy and his Babe! 

J and I. 

Baby Bear in all his dinner loving glory! 

Mama Bird made the most amazing dinner... So this is going to be a post with her sweet dinner recipes! It was deemed a delicious dinner!

The Big Chicken MauMau plate. Delicious! The recipes will be at the bottom of the page.

Grandpa Frank's Big Chicken MaMou 

(He was the one that shared the recipe with us for the first time!) 

PLEASE NOTE: This recipe is a little bit time intensive, but I PROMISE it's worth every moment!

Ingredients:

• 6 quarts hot water
• 3 Tablespoons salt 
• 1 box spaghetti (whole wheat is healthier!) 

Sauce Seasoning Mix: 

• 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground red pepper (cayenne works!) 
• 1 teaspoon white pepper (you can use black if you don't have white... I never do!)
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves 
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 5 minced cloves of garlic 
• 3 1/4 cups chicken stock 
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 2 (16 ounce) cans of tomato sauce 
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups finely chopped green onions 
• 1 pounds boneless chicken, cut into small cubes 

Chicken Seasoning Mix

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional, although it's just delicious to add!) 
• 1/2 teaspoon basil leaves

Directions: 

1. Place the hot water and salt in a large pot over high heat. 
2. Cover and bring to a boil. 
3. When the water reaches a boil, add spaghetti to the pot. 
4. Return to boil and cook to the al dente stage. (about 7 minutes) 
5. While the spaghetti is boiling combine the seasoning mix ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. 
6. When complete drain spaghetti into a colander.
7. In a 4-quart saucepan, combine 1/2 stick of butter, the onions, and garlic cloves.
8. Saute over medium heat 5 minutes. 
9. Add the minced garlic and the seasoning mix; continue cooking over medium heat until onions are browned. 
10. Add 2 1/2 cups of the stock, the Worcestershire and Tabasco. 
11. Bring to a simmer and cook about 8 minutes stirring often. 
12. Stir in the tomato sauce and bring mixture to a boil. 
13. Stir in the sugar and 1 cup of green onions. 
14. Gently simmer, stirring occasionally. 
15. Mix the spices for the chicken while the sauce is simmering. 
16. Add the chicken to a skillet and dump the spices over it. 
17. Stir to spread the spices evenly over the chicken while it cooks. 
18. Add the remaining 1 cup green onions to the chicken and saute over high heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes, stirring frequently. 
19. Once the chicken is done cooking, add the sauce from the saucepan. 
20. Let mixture cook for about an hour. 
21. Serve the chicken mix over the spaghetti. 
22. Enjoy! 

Mama Bird's Citrusy Caprese Salad

Ingredients: 

• 3 Cara Cara Oranges
• Fresh Mozzarella cheese (the kind that comes in the little watery stuff)
• 1/4 cup of orange juice 
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil 
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar 
• Dash of salt and pepper

Directions: 

1. Whisk quickly. 
2. Drizzle over orange, cheese, basil arrangement.
3. Enjoy! 

And, of course, no birthday celebration would be any good without CAKE!

Angel Food cake is a big deal in our cozy house! 

Happy Birthday Bubba! 

featured reader

in honor of making it through an entire year of blogging (although i didn't post nearly as much as i should have!) i have decided to feature a very zealous reader in my post today. he is a man very near and dear to my heart, though i didn't always feel that way... especially one time when he bit me and another time when he broke the glass window on my playhouse, oh, and don't forget that time he was sleep walking in the middle of the night and scared me.

this week's featured reader is none other than the older of my little brothers...

scooter!

yep, if you haven't looked at my comments on my posts he is always such an encourager and helper with all of his kind, and never sarcastic words. i know, you wish you had a brother as cool as mine. have no fear because he is for sale! well, not exactly for sale, but for rent. i would hate to keep the rest of the planet from enjoying the humor and handsome looks of my dear brother, so i'm allowing for him to be rented out to others. go ahead, have him for yourself! i promise he'll be on his best behavior and won't bother your other children or your animals... actually he may bother your domestic household pets.

bub, here's your honorable mention. you are the best.

song of the day:
welcome to the family
by: little big town

my cooking adventure

after watching this adorable flick with my dear mama bird, i decided that i, too, wanted to learn to cook... over the last year and a half i have been learning... on my own. it's sort of a trial by fire kind of thing (sometimes literally). oh man, it's not always easy... and sometimes i think i have lost my mind. but i'm trying. and i'm loving it.

so, i have decided to start a cooking portion on my blog. yep, i'm going to try and make my own recipes, put a twist on some of my favorites from other books and magazines, and share them with all of you! i'm also going to be posting about delicious dates that jason and i go on so that i can make my own versions of winning dishes!

so please visit my del-i-cious recipes while you're here and let me know what's truly delicious (or just looks the part)... or what's not!

disclaimer: in addition to learning how to cook, i'm also learning how to take food pictures. please don't decide based on the poor pictures i take!

song of the day: mes emmerdes
by: charles aznavour

it's from the movie. if you haven't seen it, put it on the tippy top of your to do list.

happy new year!

the new year is here and with it, a new quarter of school. but this quarter is different, it's the LAST quarter of my college career! yipee!

this year holds lots of exciting times and i promise to work my hardest to keep things updated on here. plus, being a better blogger is one of my new year's resolutions. that and taking more pictures because putting photos up here makes it more interesting for everyone, including myself!

i also not only want to cook more, but also post more of my favorite recipes on here! i have lots of new recipes lined up for dinner this week, so check back and see if they are winners or... not so tasty dinners!

song of the day:

chicken fried

by: the zac brown band

merry meringues for christmas

this Christmas was the year of the meringues. my mom and i have subscriptions to the foodnetwork.com magazine and it's absolutely amazing. we both cook out of it five nights a week.

the following recipe was on their website and yummmmm it's delicious!

meringue swirls:

• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature


• pinch of salt


• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar


• 3/4 cup superfine sugar


• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or use 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract)


• coarse sugar crystals and/or silver nonpareils, for sprinkling

how to make these sugary little treats:

1. preheat the oven to 250 degrees f.

2. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. beat the egg whites and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until frothy (use the whisk attachment if using a stand mixer).

4. add the cream of tartar.

5. increase the speed to medium high and add the superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. (i just ma

ke sure to pour slowly and to move it around the bowl as i'm adding it... otherwise it takes forever!)

6. scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the meringue (or add the extract) and continue beating until the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is thick, glossy and forms stiff peaks, about 6 minutes. (however, if it's not thick and glossy with stiff peaks don't stop, just keep beating it... you can never beat it too much)

7. fit a piping bag with a large star tip. fill the bag with the meringue and pipe spirals on the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. (you can use a plastic snack baggie if you don't have the piping bags)

8. sprinkle with the coarse sugar. (colored is always pretty!)

9. bake 1 hour, then turn off the oven and let the meringues stand in the oven until dry, about 2 hours.

*make sure to store in an airtight container up to 1 week or they start to get gooey or creepy.

i'm taking these to a christmas eve dinner with my fiance and his family tomorrow... so i made them christmassy by adding green and red sugar with a little heart for the tree topper... what do you think? yep, you can call me martha stewart.



you can also add cocoa powder to the mix (just a tablespoon or two) and it'll make chocolate which are also delicious!

song of the day:

merry christmas from the family

by: rosie o'donnell and the dixie chicks

if you haven't heard the rosie christmas cds... you need to because they are hysterical!

yuck, yuck, and more yuck

i am quite possibly the world's cleanest person. i clean like it's going out of style and i know that sometimes it drives poor jason nuts when i'm busy cleaning and he just wants to watch a movie. however, a tragedy has come over my clean little apartment.

cockroaches.

yep, there is a hole in the roof of my bathroom and they crawl in the fan and wah-lah! i have a new roommate. it is repulsive, disgusting, absolutely freaky. and, did you know they have wings? oh, you bet they do... and i don't think they use the wings to keep themselves cool during hot weather.

poor jason has been playing exterminator and killing the few that i have seen. but i don't know how much longer it'll be before i find one on my own time... and the screech that will follow as soon as i find my first one will be the screech heard around the world. (i'm getting the creepy crawlies just writing about it right now)

and i guess killing them with bug spray isn't really an option because they're crazy little buggers... no wonder people say that cockroaches could survive a nuclear bomb. yuck. i guess they can't survive being stepped on by a boot... however, i hope to never know that for sure.

please pray for my safety... and sanity... because i'm thinking i could be abducted by a bunch of critters and be never seen again.

song of the day:
don't panic
by: coldplay

as much as this song is soothing and wonderful... i can just hear little bug legs creepy-crawling in the background.

just a few of my favorite things

i love to read blogs where other people put things that bring them joy in the world. and i do believe (especially during difficult times) it is the little things that count. so, here is a list of some of my favorite little things:

1. starbucks refresh tea: it's minty flavor is all kinds of goodness. i love it because it is soothing for at night time, but refreshing for a gloomy morning!

2. a good book is like a great friend. i am in love with many characters from books i have read and often try to think of people i know who could function in my life the same way the characters have in the book. (my favorite character right now is sadie from sophie kinsella's twenties girl).

3. running: nothing clears my mind and body like a good run. and living so close to the ocean and downtown la jolla equals beautiful scenery regardless of the direction i run.

4. chimes ginger chews: this brand makes the most delicious candy! and it's still "healthy" (at least that's what i tell myself!). my favorite are the mango ginger chews that look much like the container above... but this one is peanut butter (a flavor i haven't seen before!)

5. mama bird's sun tea: nope mama bird is not a brand. my mom makes the most delicious sun tea during the sunshiney summer months. sun tea is one of the things i miss most about being home all summer long... and i tried to make the same recipe down here, but something is so much more delicious about mama's.

6. taylor swift greeting cards: i mean look how precious they are! all of the ones i've seen have glitter and they are so precious. they're my favorite to pick out (though i tend to just buy all of the ones in sight) and send home to my mom... (she appreciates them so much more than my dear boyfriend, father, and brother - maybe it's the glitter?).

well, i hope you have favorites that make tough times a little bit easier.

song of the day:

beautiful every time

by: lee brice

i guess amazing will always be amazing

like a church choir singing, a nation healing

a soldier coming home alive,

the love for me girl i see in your eyes

that's beautiful, beautiful every time, ohhhhh every time

he gets the whole favorites thing for sure. find some things that are beautiful every time.

bubba, we miss you!

big changes in the minegar house this past week… my little brother is off to college and my parents are left with another empty bedroom (at least for most of the time!). what an exciting time for him... but a sad time with him being further from home than ever before. (yep, he’s a brave soul that ventured further out into the world than i ever dreamed of doing at his age!)

with move-in upon my parents and bubba, i had the honor of spending two days being adventurous with my adventurous seven-year-old brother, miah. he is just such a sweet boy with quite the personality and sense of humor.

we went fishing at the local lake… and though we did not catch anything but some weeds growing on the bottom of the water, we had so much fun being attacked by ants, finding a good fishing spot that was shaded, and going through jason’s collection of bait in his tackle box.

and, on top of all that, my favorite (all be it new and not the original) rainbows joined for the adventure!

song of the day:

boondocks

by: little big town

"you get a line, i'll get a pole, we'll go fishing in the crawfish hole down in the boondocks"

i have a green thumb... FINALLY!

over the weekend i decided i wanted to plant a little herb garden in a flower pot to sit on the kitchen counter in my studio apartment. well, to home depot jason and i ventured and i settled on basil. (as much as i wanted mint they were out... but for the second half of the pot you betcha!)

so we planted the little seeds and i set it so the sun could touch the soil and watered (but not too much). and nothing happened. i was so concerned because i'm not good at keeping things alive (hopefully i figure this out before i have kids!) and nothing was happening when the package of seeds said it should.

then, this morning i woke up to find this:

houston we have a basil plant!

needless to say, i'm a very proud gardener/mommy and can't wait to be a proud chef although it will be hard to chop up my poor plants because they are so preciously growing.

song of the day:
my own 2 hands
by: jack johnson

it's from the curious george movie soundtrack. jack was the right man to have compose it. i love george and jack.

good old fourth of july

i'm back all! and with six months of blogging under my belt i have decided to change it up... hopefully all of you who find me so riveting can enjoy little stories about me personally with an intermingling of pictures, funny crazy things that happen to me, and, of course, the amazing things God is doing in my life!

i realize that in the next year or so i will be hitting many big milestones and this is SUCH a fun way to share them with you all!

so, forward we move!

i just got back from fourth of july - quite possibly one of my VERY favorite holidays because the ENTIRE country enjoys it and unites to celebrate the good old red, white, and blue! my family shares my love for the holiday and we decided to participate in the parade in our small town... we were nothing less than amazing (although the judges did not recognize it!). check it out for yourselves... and PUH-LEASE tell me we were award-worthy....

my fabulous mom and i made the posters and decorated the tractor... yes, it's genetic!

and we (my mom and i) were twins in our little target sun dresses, that should be +points right there!

jeremiah precious atop my ride before we drive into the official parade route!

such an amazing weekend at home with a ridiculous amount of memories... but no broken noses like my poor fate from last year! thank goodness everyone was in one piece especially since we bought and used illegal fireworks!

song of the day: boondocks - little big town.

i'm a country girl born and raised in the boondocks. case in point: i learned to drive a tractor first thing on my fourteenth birthday... and i'm my dad's pride and joy atop that john deere model a.

i'm headed home.

i'm going home tomorrow for the weekend! wahooo! this afternoon i was running and thinking about my blog and what to write next. and boom, home just made so much sense. why? well, let's get to it!

when i have been away from home for a significant amount of time (which is only three weeks) i get so antsy to head back to the sweet abode of my youth and my amazing family. then i got to thinking, is this what happens when we die? do we begin to think of the wonderful place that we are going to get to return to and our hearts fill with excitement? i sure hope so!

"My heart and my flesh may fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." -Psalm 73:26

throughout the bible it is discussed that we will all die. that the heart and flesh will not serve our purposes forever and will grow faint and fail. the body serves as a temporary housing for the spirit that God created which makes us who we are. but without the confines of a body our spirits will have the chance to be free and fly with no physical constraints to drag us down.

so, how should we feel about death? i think He intends for us to be excited just like i am. i truly believe that God arranges a room for us in preparation for having us home. our job in this process, rejoice and be glad, you don't even know how great it's going to be!

"Rejoice and be glad for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted were the prophets which came before you." - Matthew 5:12

just imagine what this homecoming would be like. the angels will sing, family and friends to have come before you will gather with joy, and in the middle of it all that King of Kings will be there to give you a warm welcome home! gosh, death seems like a reward and no longer a loss. i believe this is how God meant for death and the ascension to heaven to be regarded.

why a blog like this? well, on days that are hard, when the world seems too much and everything is going all wrong, or after losing someone very precious to you, remember He is there with the greatest of plans and parties to welcome us home. there is a greater reward that waits for us outside of the world that is grander than anything that we could ever imagine.

song of the day:

i can only imagine - mercyme

i identify with the way they talk about entering into the pearly white gates of heaven. i wonder what i will do. when i go home now to see my family i honk and hoot and holler out the window hoping everyone is just waiting to see my little car out front. how will i react knowing God is waiting for me? oh my. i feel overwhelmed now and i'm only 21. i have lots of life ahead of me. but He is excited. and so am i.

home sweet home

a three day weekend does amazing things for the mind and soul. but, a three day weekend with a surprise trip home (just a meager 54 miles from my place) to visit the ones i love most with the love of my life on a day to commemorate love does amazing things for everything!

somehow my mom makes home... a four bedroom house with LOTS of space so much more homey than my little studio apartment that i try so hard to fill with the love and warmth that i feel in the house from my childhood. i have finally come to the conclusion that its not just the love that fills the house (because that is soooo filling and heart warming) but it is the memories that i associate with the blessings that i get to call my family. that house, despite all its beauty, is just a building. it is the people of the house that make it so special to me.

watching my little brother roll himself down the stairs like a professional stunt man, listening to my father sing up and down the hallway between my parents' room and mine, knowing i can run my mom and i's favorite route with my eyes closed, laying in my bed late at night with my mom giggling about everything, falling asleep on the couch watching tv with my brother late at night... gosh, home holds so many special moments for me... moments that would not be the same without these people.

much like that, i realize there is a house that we as christians inhabit. a house that we can continue to return home to when we seem to have lost our way... or as my mom and i so eloquently put it, when our love tanks are empty. and this home is a place that we dwell forever, as He has promised.

"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." -Psalms 23:6

sometimes, much like the prodigal son, we forget where it is that we are privileged to stay and the memories we share with our company. how many cool things do we all get to read about in the bible? and why is it that we don't spend time sharing in those cool things with other christians? every time i return home i feel more encouraged. in the same way, when we are in the presence of our christian family, we must work to fill each others' cups!

but, it is greater than the "house" that we find within our christian family here on earth. but as Jesus prepared himself to pay penance for our sins upon the cross, he encouraged the disciples by talking of the house that God has for us to look forward to and inhabit once we are with Him in heaven.

"In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am." -John 14:2-3

there is already a shabby chic room with angel wings painted on the walls and a HUGEEEE walk in closet for me? gosh, jesus sure does know my heart's deepest desires! ok, so that's probably not what is in store for me, but i definitely know that my closest family members and friends are waiting to share their moments in heaven with me, and preparing to create some of our own together. plus, the King of Kings is there to be a friend of mine and make memories of our own for me to enjoy and be encouraged by.

Song of the Day: Oh Glorious - Paul Baloche

ooooh ooooh glorious. it's just one of those old favorites that is so easy to sing along to. who doesn't love something familiar and easy to relate to?