i will be grateful for this day.

creating is one of my favorite things to do. i love to paint and see everything hanging on walls (whether they are mine or walls of people i love most!) today i was looking through some of the art on etsy and this caught my eye.

i will be grateful for this day (in a storm). sometimes we need something to remind us that we have things to be grateful for... this does just that but in a sweet understated way. it's a homeowner's WWJD? bracelet! so wonderful!

so on this day, i am grateful for...

1. my amazing, loving, dynamic family

2. my best friend, mama bird

3. my strong man, j

4. my proximity to home, but my life as an "adult" (debatable if adult is the right word)

5. my bright future

6. my faith in an unshakable God

of course, the last of these is the greatest, but most importantly,

i am grateful.

song of the day:

how great is our God

by: chris tomlin.

boom it's simple.

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.

jonah and the vine, nope not the whale

growing up in the church i, like many other kids, came to know the "big" bible stories as well as the nursery rhymes that i learned at school. noah and his ark, moses parting the red sea, david and goliath, joseph and his technicolor coat, and the list goes on. one of my favorites was jonah and the whale because, well, what child doesn't love the story of a man being swallowed by a whale and living to tell the story? (plus, disney got a hold of this one and used it in pinocchio which only adds to the excitement!) all of the excitement about these stories while i was a child did not remain as i grew older in my faith. i guess i just regarded them as elementary bible stories for those early in their faith. however, last night at church God changed my preconceived notions about jonah and the whale. He, in fact, made me forget the whale completely!

at the end of chapter 4 in the book of Jonah there is the story of jonah and the vine,

"Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live."

But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?"
"I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die."

But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?" -Jonah 4: 5-11

after throwing a major fit and telling God he'd rather be dead than do God's will, jonah storms out of the city he was called to preach to and sits, pouting, in the desert. God, despite jonah's anger, provides for him: first a vine to shade, then a worm to wither the vine, and finally a hot wind from the east. in God's provisions, jonah finds himself miserable and, once again, grows angry with God crying out the he would like to die. rather than working to placate a spoiled brat of a believer, God speaks the world back into perspective in saying to jonah, "you had no hand in growing this vine or in the worm's appetite or the wind blowing from a hot land, yet you are concerned. you have a hand in the city of Nineveh, yet you are not concerned. I, the Lord of Lords, have a hand in it all and because of this, I am concerned."

why is it that it's so easy to be just like jonah? when God calls us to do something that would bring glory to Him, we get all huffy and puffy and disinterested. when God provides something great for us that we did nothing to deserve and it dies away, we throw a fit and grow angry with Him because why would you do this to me God? why, oh why? woe is me!

no, no, no get it straight guys. i don't deserve the wonderful life i have here in america more than any other u.s. citizen or any immigrant that longs to live in such a great land as ours. i am (by His grace and not my earning!) extremely blessed to be living in such a wealthy country that allows me to worship freely. so what if i don't have the coolest clothes like lady gaga (just kidding!) or the athletic ability of kobe bryant or the beauty of miss america... i have more than i could ever deserve because Jesus Christ died on the cross for me to appease his Father who should be unleashing His rage on me for the sin that wreaks havoc on my life.

but, just as the vines come and provide shade, there are worms that God places in our lives to give us a little sun. (He must like sun-kissed skin too!) all jokes aside, be thankful for sun. He is exposing us because He knows that we will not burn to a crisp under the heat of His greatest star. so, although you may not want to sit out and feel the heat, realize He will not let you burn, He will provide some water and some shade until the time has come for you to feel the coolness of night. and while that hot eastern wind blows, be thankful for the air that fills your lungs. be thankful you are alive to feel the breeze against your skin and realize that, just like in the bible, one feels most alive when life is reminding you it's not an easy thing.

remember the words of a very tried man, job, "...the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away." -Job 1:21. that was written in the first chapter of a 42 chapter book. what chapter would you write that in yours?

make a list of the vines, the worms, the winds that God brings to develop your perspective into one that focuses on the immense blessings showered on us by Him. don't just count your blessings, but attribute them to the Almighty King that deserves much more than we could ever bring to Him. and just remember His sweet blessings on your life the next time you are grouchy about the calling He has for you.

song of the day:
who am I
by: casting crowns

who am i to deserve the things He gives to me? i'm not. He is.

june gloom in july

i live in undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in america that is known for it's amazing weather year round. i just love the temperate conditions and the fact that it gets no hotter than 95 degrees, but no colder than 55. oh, my dear san diego. what other city looks so bright and beautiful 70% of the year?

however, this is not what my dear san diego looks like right now. it has been blanketed by a very thick cloud cover like this for over a week....

oh june gloom it's july now and you're killing me! i wake up in the morning to this and the clouds are relentless in keeping the lovely little sun out of my life! it's even been raining. oh how i miss my dear sunshine.

song of the day: the sunshine song by jason mraz.

if only my dear sun would simply shine. i would love to NEED to wear my cute new sunglasses instead of just pretend it's sunny and wear them.

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.

letters to God

i have suddenly fallen in love with the art of letter writing again. there is something about a handwritten note that comes in the mail that is just so amazing. i’m not sure what part of it i love the most, the fact that someone thought of me and took time to write or that the mailman realizes i’m a big deal in someone’s life because they sent me a letter.

i remember in middle school - before email, instant messaging, and texts were all the rage – a close friend and i would write notes back and forth several times throughout the day. we would draw cute little borders and pictures that would make each other laugh on the edges and fill the page with lots of thoughts that were meant only for the other to see. now, just eight short years later it’s about the communications that are much more convenient than letters. emails, texts, and instant messages are the new way to let someone know you care in a much simpler, quicker way. you can type them, there’s no charge to send, and they arrive within seconds. however, these digital communications don’t have the beautiful scrawl of your loved ones or the scribbled out mess-ups of a younger sibling. a handwritten note is the diamond of written communication.

now, a journal has never been the thing for me. i have no desire to write to a book about my days. but there is something so cathartic about writing a letter to God every once in a while to let Him know your heart and to create a little reminder to you about the big moments in your faith. i never liked feeling like i had to write every day… or every other day (something my mom is soooo good at!), but instead have found it helpful to my faith to look at my notebook and realize there are bimonthly letters to God. some are sad and pleading for His help, others are reminders to myself about my lacking in some area while strong in others, and still more talk about my loved ones. but the one thing that’s the same in all of them, i’m speaking, very honestly, with my God.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” –Philippians 4:8

what do you have to bring to God? it doesn’t have to be a letter like Paul wrote to Galatians with all kinds of biblical knowledge, but rather a note of honesty, of pure heart. show God you long to be thinking on the things of Him despite the fact that you haven’t in the past. you don’t have to worry about impressing God with everything that you know about His word… why? because compared to Him you know nothing!

“Boast no more so very proudly,

Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;

For the Lord is a God of knowledge,

And with Him actions are weighed. -1 Samuel 2:3

God speaks about the vastness of His own knowledge throughout the bible, but in 1 Samuel 2:3 he lays it out straight, “the Lord is a God of knowledge”. boom. we get it…. or do we?

my favorite passage to look at in my notes talks about the amazing faith of the people in my life – the immeasurable strength of my father’s, the curiosity and longing of my mother’s, the ever worshipping faith of my brother’s, the child’s faith of my baby brother’s, the new, yet intellectual faith of my boyfriend’s – and then i refer to my faith… i say to God it’s dried up and hungry, but I’m letting it stay that way, God. i don’t feel like i even have the energy to fix it. God read those words too, and He fixed it. He took the cup of life and filled my little heart until i sought out His word like a traveler in the desert seeking water.

verbal or silent mental prayer is much like email. it is soooo much more efficient and easier to use than writing things out. but when you handwrite a letter to God, when you put your thoughts and words on paper, you create a permanent record of your prayers rather than a fleeting thought. use a letter to God to renew your communications with Him. write your prayer out on a paper and keep it somewhere safe. then, in a couple months, look back and enjoy the answers to those written prayers.

song of the day:

you give me hope - between the trees

this song is on the movie letters to God soundtrack. it reminds me that He is here to give hope and i need to be keeping my eyes open and concentrated on all of the little rays of hope shining down from Him above. rays that could so easily be missed but are sent specifically me by my Father in heaven who loves me most.

the singer says, "you give me hope in spite of everything. you show me love even with so much pain. so i'll take this life and live like i was given another try." amen. He gives us hope. He love us. so, we will take our lives and live like He has given us another try.

yummy in my tummy

i have been watching my weight and what i eat lots lately. i have become very conscientious about how much i eat and how much i work out... but instead of learning a lot about myself and getting thin i have, once again, had my eyes refocused on my oh-so-good God.

i really love m&ms, chips and salsa, and iced tea with no sweetener. i mean i love them. if they could be a well-balanced meal i'd be such a happy girl. however, too many m&ms and too many chips with salsa make my tummy really upset. i have realized that it doesn't take much to go from just enough to too much and for a tummy ache to quickly set in.

in Phillipians 3:19, God warns against overindulgence:

"Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things."

the iced tea is, luckily, a healthy choice and i don't have problems with an upset stomach due to over-ingestion. God is much like iced tea. He is good for you, He has elements critical to life (like tea has water), He's just being Him and not trying to be too sweet (in other words, He's all natural and has no need for sugar coating).

but God is not like m&ms or chips and salsa. too much doesn't make you sick. He is not tempting you only to make you pay for quenching your desires. He longs for you to come and enjoy all of the flavor that He has to offer. God extends an invitation to believers in 1 Corinthians 10:31 in saying "So whether you eat or drink whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." amen, let's enjoy! His goodness will come upon us and bless us through our indulgence in Him.

enjoy the best of summer drinks and think of His greatness. He longs for us to drink of His greatness while spending time thinking on Him. i'm up for it.

song of the day:

the time is now by: phil wickham

it's summer, it's time for tea. yum. enjoy!