Black Friday

So I came into work this morning and found my desk decorated for my 30th Birthday which happens to be on Sunday. Very thoughtful and nice... I felt loved. :)

As the morning continues on and I make my way around the office, I start to notice something... why does everyone seem to look the same?

I come to realize EVERYONE is wearing BLACK.

I later find out that my dear friend, Aubrey, sent out an email to our staff the day before which said the following:

Hey Friends,

Know that I told most of you but wear a little (or all) black tomorrow to help us celebrate the fact that Andrea is only getting older… she turns 30 on Sunday! Her golden birthday… so throw a little gold in if you’ve got it!

Tomorrow will be fun… Remember that we’ll all be going to Bravo Burger for lunch. We will all match which makes it easy to find each other in crowds… no getting separated now (Bravo Burger can get pretty crazy).

Cheers to tomorrow,
Aubrey

They all followed her lead and here we have it...

Last time I checked, BLACK was for being over the hill and turning 40... did I just skip an entire decade?!?!

TAG. I'm it.

I've been tagged and I've taken way too long to respond. (sorry Jessica... perhaps I can take you out to Diddy Reese???) ;)

So. Here are eight (more) random things about me. Let's make this short and sweet because I've already listed 100 random facts about me back in January.

Doesn't that count for something?!?! No? Ok then... let's get on with it.

1. I'm turning 30 on the 30th this month and each time the thought crosses my mind I begin to have a small panic attack. I WAS okay with turning 30 up until about 2 weeks ago. I'm starting to feel like I'm running out of time. For A LOT of things. Ugh.

2. Singer/Songwriter I never tire of: Greg Laswell. He never disappoints.

3. I truely believe I can eat anyone under the table... in CHOCOLATE.

4. I have never been drunk. Nor have I ever finished an alcoholic drink (perhaps for my 30th birthday???). That probably shouldn't be something to strive for.

5. I am not allowed to go to the following stores alone (but I do anyway): Anthropologie, Target, and any craft/art store.

6. I am not much of a phone person. So please don't call me to just "chat." As long as our conversation has a purpose, I'm fine. But I'd much rather see your bright, shiny face in front of me.

7. I have never lived farther than 30 minutes from my parents or even outside the state of California. Someday though... :)

8. Some of the best alone time I have is in my car (driving or parked). Whether it be a time of worship, prayer, or just simply enjoying the drive and delighting in God's creation, I just love to drive.

So there you have it. Am I dismissed??? :)

For you LOL abusers

Let me ask you this... how often do you or your friends use LOL in emails, instant messages, and text messages?

And how often are you or your friends actually LAUGHING OUT LOUD?

I'm pretty sure almost never.

You're basically abusing your right to use LOL.

There has been a call to change...

LOI

(Laughing On the Inside)

"Loi is to be used when something is mildly entertaining, yet not humorous enough to evoke actual laughter. Actual laughter, however, may still be represented by "lol" or its other manifestations (LMAO, ROFL, etc)."

Please. Spread the word.

Waiting is the Hardest Part

So you wait...

and wait...

Hopeful that God will answer your prayers. That God will make good on his promises. But day after day, perhaps even year after year, your frustration mounts to an escalated high.

You begin to wonder if God has forgotten about you. You begin to think whether God really knows what he's doing...

"Does He even realize how important this is to me?"
"How could God deny me the greatest desires of my heart?"
"Is God even on my side?"
"Why is the Lord keeping this from me?"

How often do we acknowledge God's ability to fulfill his promises yet deny God's sovereignty to decide when the promise would be fulfilled? We take it upon ourselves to fulfill those promises, no longer trusting God to do his job. We're simply tired of the wait.

"God can, but he won't."
"God can't figure this out."

And our faith collapses.



Waiting. It's hard. Especially when we just don't understand WHY. God wants us to be honest about our frustrations and fears. We are often required to wait and during that time our faith is stretched. Are you going to believe your assumptions over God's promises?

We must master the lessons of faith... learn to walk further in faith each day. He will continue to teach you... and stretch you...

...until you're walking in faith and not by sight.