Unexpected Surprises
There are two things I normally grab from the main compartment of my purse without looking: my wallet and the case for my sunglasses. It's a rare occurrence when I actually LOOK inside.
Well, the other day I happened to be 'looking.' You know the kind of looking I'm talking about. The digging, feeling around, and trying to poke your head into what some men would call the dark abyss of a woman's purse. (We seem to have everything stashed in there, don't we?)
Anyways, as my eyes are trying to focus into the dark hole and my hand is swirling amongst the contents of my bag, my hand and eyes locked on some sort of white paper. As I grab it (without pulling it out to see more visibly) I noticed it felt a little thicker than just some paper that I threw in there at some point. Then, I see the word 'Seester' written on one side and not in my handwriting. I was confused but then it clicked. The only obvious people that call me 'Seester' would be my brother, Mark and my new sister in law, Lyss. I pull it out to discover an envelope which contained a card, addressed to me... Seester.
Well, the other day I happened to be 'looking.' You know the kind of looking I'm talking about. The digging, feeling around, and trying to poke your head into what some men would call the dark abyss of a woman's purse. (We seem to have everything stashed in there, don't we?)
Anyways, as my eyes are trying to focus into the dark hole and my hand is swirling amongst the contents of my bag, my hand and eyes locked on some sort of white paper. As I grab it (without pulling it out to see more visibly) I noticed it felt a little thicker than just some paper that I threw in there at some point. Then, I see the word 'Seester' written on one side and not in my handwriting. I was confused but then it clicked. The only obvious people that call me 'Seester' would be my brother, Mark and my new sister in law, Lyss. I pull it out to discover an envelope which contained a card, addressed to me... Seester.
How long had this been in there? How was it that I never noticed it before? I texted Lyss to thank her for her the card and asked her when she hid it inside my purse. It turns out it had been in my purse for nearly two weeks!!!
As I read the words, tears welled up in my eyes and I was reminded that I am loved.
Sometimes there's a disconnect between my my head and my heart... what my brain knows and how my heart feels. I know in my head that I am loved... by LOTS of people, and especially by my beloved Creator. But there are times when that fact doesn't connect with my heart.
But right at that moment, my heart felt it.
And God knew it was what I needed right at that moment.
I am loved...
I picked up an old book to start reading today. While flipping through the pages I found a 3x5 card that had marked the spot where I had last left off. On it was something written that I needed to be reminded of. Although I don't know where I originally found this quote, here's what was written on the card:
"I have nothing to prove today - to anybody.
I am a daughter of the King, set to rule -
and there are no expectations for me today,
to be or do anything.
I don't have to be perfect -
I don't have to perform -
I don't have to say the right thing
or do the right thing to be loved.
I am loved. Period."
"I have nothing to prove today - to anybody.
I am a daughter of the King, set to rule -
and there are no expectations for me today,
to be or do anything.
I don't have to be perfect -
I don't have to perform -
I don't have to say the right thing
or do the right thing to be loved.
I am loved. Period."
A Bee in One's Bonnet... Err, house.
It was late in the afternoon. The windows of the house were already open. It was still warm outside but I could feel it starting to cool down. To make use of the slight breeze that would casually blow through, I opened the door that led out to the balcony in hopes that it would cool down the house quicker.
As I worked away, finishing up my latest project, I heard a very faint buzzing over the backround music that was playing on my computer. If it was Radiohead playing, perhaps it might have fit right in and I would never have second guessed the sound. But no. The sound seemed a little odd over the piano and quiet, airy voice of Feist. I looked over at my phone thinking it was sitting too closely to the monitor. That wasn't it.
I slowly glance behind my right shoulder over to the window and there it was. A Wasp. A Hornet. A Yellow Jacket. I couldn't tell. Did it really matter??? All I knew is it wasn't a fly.
I jumped out of my desk chair to the other side of the room and let out a quiet squeal as I turned back to face the window to make sure he wasn't chasing after me. Cause, you know. They do that. I think I literally stood 15 feet away from the window for about 10 minutes just watching him buzz about the window screen. Couldn't he see that the wide open door just to the right of the window was the perfect escape for him? Oh no. He had to try and figure his way out through the stupid window which was blocked by the screen. It was hopeless.
With no boyfriend or husband to come to my rescue, not even a cute, next door neighbor, I call my dad. As I'm explaining my story he puts me on speaker so my mom can join in on the fun. Okay. So I'm a little dramatic. I can hear them attempting to hold back their laughter, but in reality it was quite apparent with all the snickering.
A good hour had passed and my unwelcomed visitor had overstayed his... well, you know. After discussing all the methods of which could be used to get him OUT of MY house, I was still too scared to attempt any of them for fear of my life. I know. I already said I was dramatic. But I had no choice but to suck it up.
I decided to go with the "Closing the Window" method. I would wait for him to stop buzzing around the screen and inch my way toward the window. I swear he was watching me. I would get just close enough and he'd start buzzing around again. This took way too long to accomplish but finally saw him crawling his way up between the glass and the screen. At that moment, I ran over and slammed the window down trapping him behind the glass. Gotcha!
And by morning he was dead.
I know. I'm cruel. I left him there to die a slow death by exhaustion and starvation. I just couldn't put him out of his misery by squishing him. I had visions of a swarm of his buddies coming to his rescue, ready and willing to attack and fight till my death. I wasn't going to have that. Remember, he was the unwelcomed visitor who just invited himself inside.
As I worked away, finishing up my latest project, I heard a very faint buzzing over the backround music that was playing on my computer. If it was Radiohead playing, perhaps it might have fit right in and I would never have second guessed the sound. But no. The sound seemed a little odd over the piano and quiet, airy voice of Feist. I looked over at my phone thinking it was sitting too closely to the monitor. That wasn't it.
I slowly glance behind my right shoulder over to the window and there it was. A Wasp. A Hornet. A Yellow Jacket. I couldn't tell. Did it really matter??? All I knew is it wasn't a fly.
I jumped out of my desk chair to the other side of the room and let out a quiet squeal as I turned back to face the window to make sure he wasn't chasing after me. Cause, you know. They do that. I think I literally stood 15 feet away from the window for about 10 minutes just watching him buzz about the window screen. Couldn't he see that the wide open door just to the right of the window was the perfect escape for him? Oh no. He had to try and figure his way out through the stupid window which was blocked by the screen. It was hopeless.
With no boyfriend or husband to come to my rescue, not even a cute, next door neighbor, I call my dad. As I'm explaining my story he puts me on speaker so my mom can join in on the fun. Okay. So I'm a little dramatic. I can hear them attempting to hold back their laughter, but in reality it was quite apparent with all the snickering.
A good hour had passed and my unwelcomed visitor had overstayed his... well, you know. After discussing all the methods of which could be used to get him OUT of MY house, I was still too scared to attempt any of them for fear of my life. I know. I already said I was dramatic. But I had no choice but to suck it up.
I decided to go with the "Closing the Window" method. I would wait for him to stop buzzing around the screen and inch my way toward the window. I swear he was watching me. I would get just close enough and he'd start buzzing around again. This took way too long to accomplish but finally saw him crawling his way up between the glass and the screen. At that moment, I ran over and slammed the window down trapping him behind the glass. Gotcha!
And by morning he was dead.
I know. I'm cruel. I left him there to die a slow death by exhaustion and starvation. I just couldn't put him out of his misery by squishing him. I had visions of a swarm of his buddies coming to his rescue, ready and willing to attack and fight till my death. I wasn't going to have that. Remember, he was the unwelcomed visitor who just invited himself inside.
I suck...
...at blogging.
There has to be a better way to keep me from disappearing...
Any suggestions?
There has to be a better way to keep me from disappearing...
Any suggestions?
Making a comeback...
Okay, so I turned 30 and disappeared for 4 months.
But I'm here.
I'm back... I'm almost sure of it.
And I promise to do better.
But I'm here.
I'm back... I'm almost sure of it.
And I promise to do better.
Black Friday
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.
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.
