tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51327977810781391962024-03-04T22:08:37.986-08:00Life Into WordsLife Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.comBlogger296125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-37948180346424757632016-03-24T08:28:00.002-07:002016-03-24T08:28:16.367-07:00monthly update, or "monthdate"<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's time for a life update!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">March has been a very busy month... mostly consumed by seeing friends and work and weekend trips and baby announcements! I have three close friends who are pregnant, all due within three months of each other (June, July, August). It makes for a very excited Aunt Sarah. Which brings me to my next thing: doula certification. I am doing it. I finally paid for the class and I'm ready to see if it goes anywhere! Seeing as most medical things/blood freak me out, it's funny that I would want to do this. But as it turns out, birth is fascinating to me. Give me all the birth stories, complete with details (and I mean <i>real details</i>, none of this "I went into labor and had the baby two hours later and it was perfection" stuff). Anyway, that's taking off in August.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My old roommate got married last weekend. As usual, I was too lazy to do my hair (plus I'm bad at doing it anyway). So I thought it would be a good chance to see my friend/sister Jude, who is apprenticing at a fancy hair salon. We had a lovely catch up time and it was so fun to see this girl work her magic on me! I joke that she got her start in hair the day I randomly asked her to cut off my ponytail in her front yard so I could donate it (yes, that happened). </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQI7Bkk4NBzgiXaMDPfgpvYW_QrDLtapgoUVIcjG-QoJJbDdFxqsQVKJ-IWg1e_eLYSebqNUafFDMdomuv81HJvzdXHsql9KURVWrXDaGm_q2p2cO4q9056rMhYAYzkPwrQzyQluaFJE/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQI7Bkk4NBzgiXaMDPfgpvYW_QrDLtapgoUVIcjG-QoJJbDdFxqsQVKJ-IWg1e_eLYSebqNUafFDMdomuv81HJvzdXHsql9KURVWrXDaGm_q2p2cO4q9056rMhYAYzkPwrQzyQluaFJE/s640/1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The wedding was so fun. We got to the area early and were starving, so we stopped by a golf/country club down the road. By country club, I mean a really old school joint with Victorian decor and a hint of taxidermy. Their bar was basically closed except for hot dogs and snacks, so Anya went with it. (Notice the stuffed fox eating a golf ball.)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxioZoiXj-0tq8shtHt5vZpzeAh9KcpU7wnsG_sg1BNJ7uILQxxOw3XmH_uJUQyGJ1HxO_rL4r7QQH0T1wsAYr7rESmpo3RedSmdKzo3ZsSzbsKb0WNrLGhY3xu3Igd52blr4dQO6jxHU/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxioZoiXj-0tq8shtHt5vZpzeAh9KcpU7wnsG_sg1BNJ7uILQxxOw3XmH_uJUQyGJ1HxO_rL4r7QQH0T1wsAYr7rESmpo3RedSmdKzo3ZsSzbsKb0WNrLGhY3xu3Igd52blr4dQO6jxHU/s640/3.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For all of you former MD/DC-ers that have moved away, we are on a strict eagle watch! The eagle President and First Lady (those are their names, I'm not kidding) have hatched their eaglets and are nested in the DC Arboretum. You can watch the live stream DC eagle cam <a href="http://www.eagles.org/dceaglecam/">here</a>. It's pretty cool. One of the elders at my old church is a big deal at the Arboretum and is running the eagle cam!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I got a screen shot of this on my phone. EAGLE BABIES! Mama is side-eyeing me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I also took a trip to Snowshoe, WV with my friend Elizabeth and her husband. A year ago, we went to Snowshoe and Elizabeth and James got engaged! It was also the time we drove 10 hours through a snowstorm to get there and I wasn't sure if we were going to make it out alive. We had a gooood time reminiscing about that one. We went tubing and played Cards Against Humanity and made tacos. Also, Fireball shots. Because Elizabeth and I are in a little something called the Bad Girls Club, which we made up with our friend Lish. It's a thing of the past, but it also comes out unexpectedly. I won't say any more than that.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhel05NsKzlaLSeFudbxJ-5EgVLS4OfygRS18fIrLDj4nV8erUVoRbC-CH77yLiDBacwIHiF3BKL0Hlkp7ZyyvmUJQ2sq0PgIniDY5_4KePocDyFuZKJybRyrRQPqy5bGlnZnpLVN0AfW0/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhel05NsKzlaLSeFudbxJ-5EgVLS4OfygRS18fIrLDj4nV8erUVoRbC-CH77yLiDBacwIHiF3BKL0Hlkp7ZyyvmUJQ2sq0PgIniDY5_4KePocDyFuZKJybRyrRQPqy5bGlnZnpLVN0AfW0/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I've never had a fuller shot in my life... I couldn't cheers without spilling it. This photo was barely possible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In sadder news, my friend Sarah's beloved guinea pig, Meg, got sick and passed away this month. Some of you out there probably don't think guinea pigs are "real" pets. They aren't dogs or cats, sure. But trust me, Meg had a big personality. Full of sass. And for some reason she would always lick me when I held her. I miss that girl already. It was a sad day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Tonight my roomie Laura and I are headed to her mom's for Easter (love that mother of hers and her lamb cake that she makes me decorate every year). Every time I go to her mom's, I feel like it's a mini-vacation. Two hours away and always a fun visit, complete with Jenga and tons of food. I'm just mad the <a href="http://www.tikibarsolomons.com/">Tiki Bar</a> isn't open yet. After like a million years of knowing Laura, I have only been to this place twice. And talked about it probably a thousand times. (I'll be back one day, Tiki.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Have a happy Easter and enjoy your (hopefully) warm weekend!</span><br />
<h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.55em; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 20px;">
<span class="text Luke-24-1" id="en-NIV-25993" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jesus Has Risen<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-25993A" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-25993A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.9em; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text Luke-24-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="chapternum" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; bottom: -0.1em; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; left: 0px; line-height: 0.8em; position: relative;">24 </span>On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-25993B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-25993B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and went to the tomb.</span> <span class="text Luke-24-2" id="en-NIV-25994" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">2 </span>They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,</span> <span class="text Luke-24-3" id="en-NIV-25995" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">3 </span>but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-25995C" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-25995C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-24-4" id="en-NIV-25996" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">4 </span>While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-25996D" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-25996D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> stood beside them.</span> <span class="text Luke-24-5" id="en-NIV-25997" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">5 </span>In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?</span> <span class="text Luke-24-6" id="en-NIV-25998" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">6 </span>He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-25998E" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-25998E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-24-7" id="en-NIV-25999" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">7 </span>‘The Son of Man<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-25999F" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-25999F" title="See cross-reference F">F</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’</span> ”<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-25999G" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-25999G" title="See cross-reference G">G</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-24-8" id="en-NIV-26000" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">8 </span>Then they remembered his words.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26000H" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26000H" title="See cross-reference H">H</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text Luke-24-9" id="en-NIV-26001" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">9 </span>When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.</span> <span class="text Luke-24-10" id="en-NIV-26002" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">10 </span>It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26002I" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26002I" title="See cross-reference I">I</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> who told this to the apostles.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26002J" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26002J" title="See cross-reference J">J</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-24-11" id="en-NIV-26003" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">11 </span>But they did not believe<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26003K" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26003K" title="See cross-reference K">K</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.</span> <span class="text Luke-24-12" id="en-NIV-26004" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">12 </span>Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26004L" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26004L" title="See cross-reference L">L</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and he went away,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26004M" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26004M" title="See cross-reference M">M</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> wondering to himself what had happened.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text Luke-24-13" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">13 </span>Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles<span class="footnote" data-fn="#fen-NIV-26005a" data-link="[<a href="#fen-NIV-26005a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+24#fen-NIV-26005a" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b34b2c; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top;" title="See footnote a">a</a>]</span> from Jerusalem.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26005N" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26005N" title="See cross-reference N">N</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-24-14" id="en-NIV-26006" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">14 </span>They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.</span> <span class="text Luke-24-15" id="en-NIV-26007" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">15 </span>As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26007O" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26007O" title="See cross-reference O">O</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-24-16" id="en-NIV-26008" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">16 </span>but they were kept from recognizing him. ....</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text Luke-24-37" id="en-NIV-26029" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">37 </span>They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26029AK" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26029AK" title="See cross-reference AK">AK</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-24-38" id="en-NIV-26030" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">38 </span>He said to them, <span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">“Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?</span></span> <span class="text Luke-24-39" id="en-NIV-26031" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">39 </span>Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see;<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26031AL" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26031AL" title="See cross-reference AL">AL</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text Luke-24-40" id="en-NIV-26032" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">40 </span>When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.</span> <span class="text Luke-24-41" id="en-NIV-26033" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">41 </span>And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, <span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">“Do you have anything here to eat?”</span></span> <span class="text Luke-24-42" id="en-NIV-26034" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">42 </span>They gave him a piece of broiled fish,</span> <span class="text Luke-24-43" id="en-NIV-26035" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">43 </span>and he took it and ate it in their presence.</span></span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-5319268841601478702016-03-08T07:17:00.003-08:002016-03-08T07:17:19.206-08:00She Reads Truth :: starting over<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A lot of women have talked about <a href="http://shereadstruth.com/">She Reads Truth</a>. I tried it once a long time ago, but I remember something about having to pay for the plan I was interested in, or some other thing that turned me off to it. I didn't want to get involved with it at the time. Now I'm in this strange situation where my church has closed and I haven't gone to another one, give or take a few Sundays with friends. What's weirder is that I haven't felt like it. I almost feel like I'm making up for lost time; for six years I was devoted to serving at my church as the worship leader. I loved it, but I was tired and worn down. The church in itself was a struggle that never really ended until it closed its doors last September. After that happened, I feel like <i>I</i> shut down. I haven't felt motivated to go to church again. Not because I don't love God, but because I am hesitant and afraid to start over. It was very true that I needed to take a break from all of it when the church was done. I desperately needed a detox period from the past six years. And of course, I could use the excuse that I couldn't find another church to call home right away. Now, six months later, I think I have found a church I feel comfortable in. However, I've resorted to watching their sermons online on Sunday mornings. That is safer to me than actually going and having to be around believers I don't know and struggling through worship, missing it so much. Instead I get to stay in my cozy bed, singing to myself and being alone. And I like it. I'm not sure the detox period is over yet. But I do feel disconnected from everything: God, community, making time to grow in my faith, music. I've barely played my guitar since church ended, much less played any worship music. I feel listless and weird. Some days I wonder if I am still a Christian because I'm not going to church or investing much time in my relationship with Jesus. But I know I am. I've never stopped believing. I am just searching to get back on track and I don't know how.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">All this is to say that today She Reads Truth came into my mind for whatever reason. I looked around the site a little and was glad to find <a href="http://shereadstruth.com/plan/hymns-v/">this devotional</a>. I am a big fan of hymns, and having worshiped in a 175 year old church, I made sure hymns were a part of worship often. They are some of my favorite songs to sing and play. Today I read the first one to see I would get anything out of it, because I haven't gotten much out of anything as of late. But these are the kinds of times that God speaks. He finds a way to get through to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"God has planned that my best life is right here, right now, even with the hurt and loneliness and worry that comes right along with all the incredibly good things. The truth wins each and every time-- if only I look to it."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"Rescuing is His specialty in my life."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"Whatever I think I don't have, I have in Him."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Plus some relevant verses:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"You have been <b>grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith my be found</b> to result in praise at the revelation of Jesus." - 1 Peter 1:6-7</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Perfect love casts out fear. For <b>fear has to do with punishment</b>, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." - 1 John 4:18</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope <b>without wavering</b>, for He who promised is faithful." - Hebrews 10:23</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sometimes I feel discouraged when I look at other women of faith and I feel like they are so focused and "good at being Christians" and I am not. I have always felt rough around the edges and not someone who is happy all the time, constantly telling everyone, "Jesus is soooo amazing!" That's just not me, and probably never will be. Do I need to try harder and make faith a priority? Yes. Do I need to go back to church again? Yes. Is it okay for me to take baby steps and not jump back in all at once? <i>Yes.</i> The important thing is I'm trying, and I need to remind myself that it's okay. I am my own person with my own relationship with God, and I am starting over.</span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-63351536499277170862016-02-29T07:52:00.003-08:002016-03-14T05:58:46.977-07:00oil cleansing :: skin care<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This is a hot topic in the blog world right now, and has been for some time. So I know I'm not touching on anything new, but it's new for me. I haven't cared to jump on the "all natural everything" train-- I've tried a few products here and there, but they left me dissatisfied. My face is usually only prone to breakouts during hormonal times. Basically, I didn't think I needed to go all natural because I don't have any major issues to combat (such a cystic acne) and I don't feel especially passionate about it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">photo via livecrude.com</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I started thinking about it when I saw<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BBDdZM-Sc78/?taken-by=brilamkin"> this Instagram</a> from @brilamkin four weeks ago (her blog is <a href="http://www.niceandquietblog.com/">Nice & Quiet</a>). Bri is very honest about the products she's using and what works for her. I know that if she is into something, it's at least worth a try. So when she was talking about <a href="http://www.livecrude.com/">Crude's</a> cleansing oil and how well it worked for her, I wanted to give it a shot. I did some research on the company and liked that it was developed by an e</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: right;">sthetician</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: right;"> (fun fact, it's the sister of Michelle Money from The Bachelor!) </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">who was trying to find the best blend of oils for her own personal skin. Obviously, everyone's skin reacts differently to oils; some people can use coconut with no problem, and others use jojoba, olive oil, etc. After scrolling through Crude's Instagram, I began to see a <i>lot </i>of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BA_EeLkLbde/?taken-by=livecrude">rave reviews</a> for their Everything Oil: a blend of different all natural oils. Not just for chronic acne sufferers, although their results were super impressive, but for all skin types. I decided to order their <a href="http://www.livecrude.com/shop/starter-kit">Starter Kit</a> and give it a try. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">True story: I am HOOKED. I am so in love with this process. Using the oil not only gets makeup off easily, but it makes face cleansing so much easier, at least for me! I like that I am not splashing water all over my face and my bathroom sink anymore. I massage the oil in slowly and then use Crude's PULL cloths to get all the debris out of my pores. When I started using it, I had been broken out a bit and the oil helped clear it up faster than usual. Plus, my skin feels nice <i>all the time</i>. I was used to my skin feeling good only after using a mask or getting a facial! I have even stopped wearing foundation to work because it looks and feels so smooth. On the flip side, I just had a major bachelorette weekend and piled on the makeup to go out-- and my face still felt awesome because my skin has become softer and smoother overall. My foundation went on much better than it usually does.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The starter kit also comes with their Detox mask, which is simply French green clay and matcha green tea. I will say the formula is a little annoying-- it's a powder and you mix water into it to create the mask. I get it all over my bathroom counter because it's messy like that. It does cleanse deeply, though. I have to watch how long I leave it on because it can dry me out. Not sure I would order it again because it's not fun for me to mix together, but it's effective. I also tried the Bloom oil after reading about how much people love it. That's more of a serum to moisturize, which my face definitely needs more of in the winter months! I use it after I cleanse with Everything Oil, and it keeps my face feeling smooth and hydrated. However, I am a fan of cream formulas for moisturizer, so at Crude's own recommendation, I've ordered <a href="http://fatandthemoon.com/all-cream/">Fat and the Moon's All Cream</a> to try. I'll update soon on that one when I get it! If that works for me, I probably won't order Bloom again after it's used up because of the price tag.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I wanted to share what has been working for me, especially since I am not typically one to jump on the all natural bandwagon. I have been surprised every step of the way that I actually like these products and am throwing out all my old ones (I even finished up my Philosophy face wash that I said I loved in my last beauty post, and can't bring myself to repurchase after using the Crude oil). And while the products are more expensive, they are saving me money by finding what works for me and sticking to it instead of having to buy different things all the time. Skin care can be an investment, but it's your body! Caring for that (as long as the product works) makes it worth it to me. <a href="http://www.livecrude.com/shop/everything">Everything Oil</a> is a winner that I think will be in my bathroom for a long time to come.</span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-12029653510718113872016-01-11T06:43:00.001-08:002016-01-11T06:43:44.200-08:00this is Bowie, to Bowie<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In memory of the most stardusted of legends.</span><br />
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Weird, but it's what I think of whenever I hear his name. RIP.</span>Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-60213664771603722362016-01-08T07:34:00.001-08:002016-01-08T07:35:45.443-08:00currently listening<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I have a handful of songs I've been listening to repeatedly over the last few weeks... mostly thanks to Spotify's Discover Weekly feature. If you have Spotify, be sure to check that out. It gives you a new playlist every week based on what you have listened to previously. I have found some really great gems there. (You can find Discover Weekly under Browse). </span><br />
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On to the music!</span><br />
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<b>Tori Kelly - Hollow</b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Christina Grimmie - Hold On, We're Going Home (cover)</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Daughter - Medicine</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Jessie Ware - Say You Love Me</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Matthew Koma - Suitcase</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy! xo</span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-82086082310644200502016-01-07T09:51:00.002-08:002016-01-07T10:04:56.259-08:00top 10 beauty favorites of 2015<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yay, 2016! It's finally here and I am happy to leave 2015 behind. For me, 2016 is going to be about simplifying more and spending less. While I tend to be a minimalist and refuse to hoard tons of products, I do try a lot of new things and sometimes go overboard at Sephora. Here are some my favorites that I discovered in 2015 and will definitely stick with in the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.sephora.com/purity-made-simple-P7109">Philosophy Purity face wash:</a> This is a super gentle cleanser that is non-drying and has kept my skin calm. After a day of wearing makeup, I double cleanse using the <a href="http://www.sephora.com/purity-made-simple-mineral-oil-free-facial-cleansing-oil-P288524?skuId=1344738">Purity facial cleansing oil</a> first, then the face wash. I wouldn't have bought the oil on its own, but the set was on sale at Sephora and I'm so glad the oil came with it. It really gets all the dirt and makeup off and I don't have to worry about anything being left over. I used to despise the feeling of washing my face and then still seeing makeup on the cottonball when I used a toner afterward! I also use the <a href="http://www.sephora.com/purity-made-simple-mask-P386746">Purity mask</a> since that came in the set as well-- it's not a mask that dries and hardens, but it leaves my skin super soft and is gentle enough to use every day (though I use it about once a week). All of the Purity products are a win!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.lushusa.com/Imperialis/00303,en_US,pd.html">Lush Imperialis moisturizer</a>: I became a bit of a Lush addict this year. Some products were great and others are just okay. But this one is a new go-to. I was surprised at how fast it absorbs, which I <i>love</i>! I need that in the morning since I get ready quickly and don't want to wait for it to soak in before applying my makeup. It's not a heavy moisturizer, but it's effective. And a little dab goes a long way-- I've been accustomed to using a lot with other moisturizers, but you don't need much with Imperialis (which is great because it lasts longer). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.lushusa.com/The-Olive-Branch-Shower-Gel/02399,en_US,pd.html">Lush The Olive Branch shower gel</a>: I am beyond obsessed with this shower gel. I purchased the travel size after reading a rave review on <a href="http://www.katelavie.com/2015/10/lush-olive-branch-best-ever-shower-staple.html">Kate La Vie</a>. It smells incredible, and I think it could be used by men as well. It smells orangey, tangy and not overly flowery. It has olive oil to keep your skin soft, and it does just that. I couldn't get a good idea of the scent in my mind before I used it, so I recommend picking up the travel size or popping into a Lush store to smell it for yourself. But I can almost guarantee you will love it as much as I do! I just purchased the biggest size and it's going to last me forever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.victoriassecret.com/beauty/mists/bombshell-fragrance-mist-victorias-secret?ProductID=267425&CatalogueType=OLS">Victoria's Secret Bombshell mist</a>: I just bought this last week, so it's not really a 2015 purchase-- but I have been searching so long for a fragrance that I truly love instead of settling for one that's just okay. It's harder than it sounds! Two of my close friends have been long-time wearers of Victoria's Secret perfumes and every time I see them they smell amazing, so I don't know why it took me so long. I spent New Year's with one of them and she once again told me she was wearing VS after I commented on how good she smelled, so that sealed the deal for me! I stopped into VS the other day and tested a bunch of them. Bombshell is the winner! It's fruity but grown up, and not overly sweet. Even when I'm just around the house and not wearing it, I pick up the bottle to sniff because I like it so much (is that weird?). The $25 price tag makes it even better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.target.com/p/rimmel-stay-matte-primer/-/A-14900017">Rimmel Stay Matte primer</a>: I use this primer in a different way: on my eyes. I do get a little oily in my t-zone, but matte primer all over my face makes me look extremely dry. However, my eyelids get super oily and that always prevents me from being able to wear eyeshadow (even with specific eye primers-- I've tried!). But I decided 2015 was the year I was going to bring some pretty color back to my eyelids, so I picked up this primer and gave it a shot. It works! It's way too matte for my face, but does the trick on my lids. My eyeshadow is a lot more long wearing with this underneath. I am careful when applying because it's not meant for eyes, but so far I haven't had a problem.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.target.com/p/pacifica-coco-pure-makeup-removing-wipes-facial-towelettes-30-count/-/A-16608729">Pacifica Coco Pure Makeup Removing Wipes</a>: I was at a friend's house last year and she had these in her beauty stash. I'm always a sucker for coconut, so I picked them up. They are awesome! There are definitely nights when I am lazy and want to take off my makeup without washing my face. The problem is that most wipes don't do a good enough job or leave my face feeling disgusting after, so I need to wash it anyway. These wipes not only get off all the makeup (including mascara!), but my face feels fresh after. They have come in <i>so</i> handy for weekend trips! I no longer pack face wash-- I just throw these in my bag and call it a day. I used them after New Years to take off all my makeup and it worked great, plus they smell like coconut and I love that. I will say that you might want to follow up with a toner if you are taking off heavy makeup, just to make sure you get 100% of it off. I also love using these before bed when I haven't worn any makeup.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.target.com/p/burt-s-bees-acne-solutions-clarifying-toner-5-oz/-/A-12466313">Burt's Bees Toner</a>: This is a product that I stopped using in 2015, but I am going back. After I used up my last bottle, I decided to branch out and try a Lush toner. I love Burt's Bees a lot more. I always feel like it cleans well and gets the last bit of my makeup off (back before I switched to Purity!). It doesn't feel harsh and overall, I just like it a lot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.sephora.com/superprimer-face-primer-universal-face-primer-P382504">Clinique Superprimer</a>: I have tried a <i>lot</i> of different face primers via Sephora samples, and this one really works for me. At $27, it's not crazy cheap, but a little goes a long way and it lasts longer than expected. I like it because it's not a matte primer, but it does prevent my oily sections from coming through. Makeup wears well on top of it and stays put throughout the day. The only other primer I've found that tops this one is <a href="http://www.sephora.com/veil-mineral-primer-P210575">Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer</a>, but at $52 for 1 oz, I can't justify the spending. Having used the samples, I will say that Hourglass is top of the line and you should at least try it at some point. If I'm treating myself, I'll get the $18 tiny bottle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.target.com/p/e-l-f-baked-eyeshadow-palette/-/A-15247494#prodSlot=_1_1">e.l.f. Baked Eyeshadow Palette</a>: e.l.f. products are awesome. They're at Target, they're low cost, and they wear super well. After discovering that the Rimmel primer works wonders on my eyelids, I picked up this e.l.f. palette to try. I tend to stick to everyday neutrals and golds, but I like to have some darker options for a night out. These colors don't disappoint and they last all day (though for me, that is the magic of the primer). After I allow time for my primer to set, I layer these on using my finger. With the Urban Decay palettes getting so much hype, I'm happy to spend way less on eyeshadow that does just as good a job.My best friend just gifted me <a href="http://www.target.com/p/e-l-f-prism-eyeshadow/-/A-15247496#prodSlot=_1_2">this e.l.f. palette</a> for Christmas, so I am excited to use that one too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.sephora.com/beautyblender-P228913?skuId=1151869&icid2=beautyblender_bestsellers_carousel_brand:beautyblender_p228913_image">BeautyBlender</a>: My favorite find of 2015! I have used everything from fingers to brushes to apply my foundation. I got tired of washing brushes and they never quite blended like I wanted them to. I don't like to risk getting bacteria on my face from my hands either. The beauty blender is a great compromise-- it lives up to the hype! It blends <a href="http://www.sephora.com/perfection-mist-airbrush-foundation-P381155">my foundation</a> super well and allows me to layer and build easily if I feel I need more coverage. To clean, I use a little Purity face wash, squeeze, and rinse until clear water comes out. And I always dampen before applying, which I suspect is how it blends so well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And one bonus item because I <i>have</i> to mention it: <a href="http://www.sephora.com/velvet-matte-lip-pencil-P78834?skuId=792481">NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil</a> in Cruella. It was the 2015 free birthday gift from Sephora for Beauty Insiders, and it's amazing. This color looks good on anyone (I've let my friends borrow!), and it really lasts, especially when I pair it with <a href="http://www.sephora.com/lip-insurance-lip-primer-P259615">this lip primer</a>.Go get yourself one!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If you're in the market for something new in the beauty department this year, give one of the above products a try! They are working for me and I have a good feeling they will work for you too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">[all photos via google]</span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-66993106416054383682015-12-15T07:47:00.003-08:002015-12-15T07:47:56.778-08:00weddings & thoughts on worry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This past weekend was a whirlwind. Fast paced, exhausting, joyous, and emotional. One of my closest friends got married, and anyone who knows me knows that I have been to a lot of weddings. 18, to be exact, with two more on the way in 2016 (I just counted). Some of those have been my best and dearest friends. I had a very specific feeling on Elizabeth's day, which took me by surprise: it was hard for me to give her away. I know that's not even my right or responsibility. But, as Elizabeth comically printed in the program by my name, I am a "momma bear". I care for my friends so deeply. I could not just let her go to any man-- he'd better be a good one! Luckily, James is a great guy and I love him like my own brother, so I was 100% on board with Elizabeth marrying him. But I still found myself struck by how much I love this sister of mine and how emotional I felt about releasing her to James, in a sense. I know we are still going to be super close and that won't change. I guess I just don't take it lightly when my friends get married! Is there such a thing as too much love in a friendship?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">While we're being honest, I'm going to throw this out into the universe: I started therapy a couple of weeks ago. It was time. I often say I should have started going when I was 15, so I'm only 14 years late to that party! I have struggled with anxiety for far too long on my own, and I finally realized that I can't fix it by myself. The other side of that was thinking I didn't need to seek help because I'm a Christian (I know how stupid that sounds, trust me). If I put all my hope and trust in the Lord, I'll be healed, right? Doesn't God know more than all of us and could help me more than any other person on Earth? I believe that faith does help my issues a good amount, but I had to eventually give in to this simple fact: there is no shame in talking to someone who is trained and equipped to supply you with wisdom to better your health. Key words: " no shame". This also goes along with a thought I often have in my head when talking to non-believers: "Putting your faith in God can't hurt you. It can only help you. You have nothing to lose by trying." The same concept applies.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was reading through Job the other day in the midst of feeling overwhelmed. Some might think that book is depressing because the whole thing is about Job's suffering and lamenting. But I have so many highlights in that section of my Bible because it not only showcases Job's perseverance, but that <i>it's okay to suffer and struggle</i>. We aren't meant to be in a good place 100% of the time. We are, however, meant to seek Jesus both in good times and bad:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made one as well as the other." - </i>Ecclesiastes 7:14.</span></span><br />
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While reading through Job, I found this verse: <i>"Submit to God and be at peace with Him; in this way prosperity will come to you. Accept instruction from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored. </i>(Job 22:21)". One of the problems with feeling anxious is that I completely forget to give my problems over to God. I am so short sighted during those times that I don't even think about stopping to pray-- I just keep worrying. Jewel said it best: "worry is wasteful and useless in times like these" (man, I miss the 90's). But unless I give it to Him, the worry will not only continue, it will increase.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I started thinking about the "be at peace with Him" part of the verse. Aren't I usually at peace with God? Well, not all the time. Sometimes I wonder why life has to be so hard, we all do. But unless I seek Him, I won't get remotely close to finding an answer to that question. It goes hand in hand: submit to God, only then will you be at peace with Him. And as I continue to do that, I believe my heart will start to change into less worry, more hope. Cheers to that concept.</span>Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-51162377553464103442015-12-01T10:03:00.003-08:002015-12-01T10:03:24.344-08:00Hello :: a parody for Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UZ1v4OlYLAsUwDaiE7gBBecCBKoik2iyiuYQgF48k8NTBP3SoLeyfw_EF2Ohn-Yc8JRBhmBoMpKzQWxEGyJXDEkXMTFtHW6K0-JgpiNaTNufzd-FcJqAcyNlChFDWNfaMg65-UToamw/s1600/adele.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UZ1v4OlYLAsUwDaiE7gBBecCBKoik2iyiuYQgF48k8NTBP3SoLeyfw_EF2Ohn-Yc8JRBhmBoMpKzQWxEGyJXDEkXMTFtHW6K0-JgpiNaTNufzd-FcJqAcyNlChFDWNfaMg65-UToamw/s640/adele.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCLVXm76KpRqYKzabBi6IxVGQfWbxqgVeqV48qBLF7uAH17i110kPN8hUZCEGkDdvrg3QHvnv5DOlVx13dMu7GWtQnFysWVIKwpghuICYTIk982vkgIVWprEXNIXcFUvIDiKmzYR02QE/s1600/Xmas-tree-forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCLVXm76KpRqYKzabBi6IxVGQfWbxqgVeqV48qBLF7uAH17i110kPN8hUZCEGkDdvrg3QHvnv5DOlVx13dMu7GWtQnFysWVIKwpghuICYTIk982vkgIVWprEXNIXcFUvIDiKmzYR02QE/s640/Xmas-tree-forest.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">images via google</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In honor of going to get our tree this Sunday-- a parody about a sad, pathetic Christmas tree. Enjoy!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">----------------------</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was wondering if after all these months you’ll cut me</span></div>
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</span><div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They say that you’re supposed to trim me, but I ain’t done
much blinging</span></div>
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</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hello, can you see me</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m in the forest dreaming of the tree I’d like to be </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And a million kinds</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hello from the other pines</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I must have swayed a thousand times</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">To tell you I’m ready for some Christmas fun</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But when you walk by me, you don’t take me home</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hello from the outside</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">At least I can say that I tried</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">To tell you I’m dying if I don’t get cut down</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But it don’t matter, you clearly want to pick someone else</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like a fir</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hello, how are you</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s so typical of me to invade your house, I’m sorry</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I hope your ceiling’s tall</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Did you have to cut my top off like nothing ever happened</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s no secret that my branches slump</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And I can’t hold lights</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So hello from the other pines</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I must have swayed a thousand times</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">To tell you I’m ready for some Christmas fun</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But when you walk by me, you don’t take me home</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hello from the outside</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">At least I can say that I tried</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">To tell you I’m dying if I don’t get cut down</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But it don’t matter, you clearly want to pick someone else</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like a fir</span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-38169225132966960602015-11-17T06:41:00.001-08:002015-11-17T06:41:32.556-08:00beauty review :: dessange purifying clay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5g2YIXdBIiz_EesqGiGReZXsY1i_fFWDWe5e04Fy6UzLsPBTPjfAIC7uBSjriR6Ivk6Aikvi0oeIleUV22OBLaWvg-3nm8FU3Lkc57V5HWb24DpINemvtRZdUU_Z1T_0iwAZ-6AXuDDk/s1600/dessange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5g2YIXdBIiz_EesqGiGReZXsY1i_fFWDWe5e04Fy6UzLsPBTPjfAIC7uBSjriR6Ivk6Aikvi0oeIleUV22OBLaWvg-3nm8FU3Lkc57V5HWb24DpINemvtRZdUU_Z1T_0iwAZ-6AXuDDk/s400/dessange.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">image via google</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not gonna lie... I'm a sucker for products. I try to be a minimalist and I certainly don't have drawers full of makeup I'll never use, but I do give in to things I want to try. So when I saw the <a href="http://www.target.com/p/dessange-paris-purifying-clay-pre-shampoo-mask-5-1-oz/-/A-17454477">Dessange Purifying Clay hair mask</a> in an <a href="http://www.xovain.com/hair/best-pre-shampoo-treatments">xoVain article</a>, I really wanted to see if it lives up to the hype. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The appeal stems from a few key points. First, you can get this mask at Target. Since I have a Target card, I always buy whatever I can there! Yay discounts and free shipping! Second, this is a pre-shampoo mask. I can let it sit on my head for 10 minutes before my shower and multi-task. I love that it doesn't involve an extra step in the shower aside from rinsing it out. Lastly, I really wanted to give it a shot because I have always had oily roots, even by day two of clean hair. So if this product was going to work for anyone, it would be me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's the rundown:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I applied the clay mask to my hair using the brush applicator. That was fun, it made me feel like I was at the salon. Per the instructions, I just applied to my roots and massaged it really well before letting it sit for about 8 minutes. (I'll try 10 next time.) I rinsed it out in the shower before shampooing and made sure to give my head a thorough scrub so none of it was left behind. Easy peasy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Today is day two post-shampoo and I have to say, my roots don't feel greasy. I'm trying to figure out if that's just in my head-- but even if it is, it's working! I normally feel the need to use some dry shampoo just to touch up, but I didn't and my roots still feel clean. I try to go about three days without washing my hair unless I desperately need to, and day three is usually way oily, so I am going to wait until tomorrow and assess the situation. If it's really doing its job, this is an answered prayer. And at $12, it's not breaking the bank. So far, I recommend this if you have oil-prone roots! </span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-68654976093676197002015-11-16T06:34:00.000-08:002015-11-16T06:34:01.792-08:00lazy days + lazy meal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWtS_RWytYAjGp3GNcsyAFKffPMgJL6EX-8wSgdUuV3YMhmmxN44h1XU3bq8hhVEQ2pOyGbTb7VshEPih8L0Pm-n0O08gC6r_tR9cVLElTq-S-ygQrM7MiHNnjweyzrRIWvhiG5hiAws/s1600/slow+cook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWtS_RWytYAjGp3GNcsyAFKffPMgJL6EX-8wSgdUuV3YMhmmxN44h1XU3bq8hhVEQ2pOyGbTb7VshEPih8L0Pm-n0O08gC6r_tR9cVLElTq-S-ygQrM7MiHNnjweyzrRIWvhiG5hiAws/s640/slow+cook.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">via <a href="http://foxeslovelemons.com/slow-cooker-chicken-burrito-bowls/">foxes love lemons</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am a textbook extrovert. I love being social, only need a rare day to myself once in a while, and I like to keep busy. But with cold weather coming on and lots of activities on the calendar for the upcoming holidays, I have learned that it's best to slow down a bit. And you know what? I enjoy it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I took it easy this weekend... a good balance of getting my social fix and having time to myself. I had two great conversations with friends. One was a <a href="https://www.bonefishgrill.com/">Bonefish</a> girl's night with my friend Drea, which we do every few months and it's <i>the best</i>. We have such a good time catching up on life and splurging on drinks & seafood. The other was a coffee date Saturday morning with my friend Renee at our local coffeehouse. (Lavender-vanilla lattes for the win!) I hadn't seen her since our church closed and it was a refreshing time to talk to her and plan to get together again, since she basically lives down the street from me. Never underestimate the importance of good friends, laughter, and meaningful conversation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The rest of the weekend I spent at home relaxing, getting a massage Sunday, watching That 70's Show on Netflix, and doing laundry. And I finally did something I've been meaning to restart for a long time: cooking a meal for the work week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's the thing. Being a single girl is great because I get to do whatever I want, whenever I want. I don't have to worry about anyone else. It's a selfish life, but I'm not complaining! So you can understand my dilemma when it comes to food. I like to cook, but I don't often want to go to the store just to buy specific ingredients for a meal that will feed an army and there is only me to eat it. And sometimes, I just do not want to cook. Especially during a lazy weekend. But the other side of it is that I need food for lunch during the work week. And I hate trying to come up with a new lunch every single day. Enter: the <a href="http://www.crock-pot.com/">Crock Pot</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">After a quick Google search, I found <a href="http://foxeslovelemons.com/slow-cooker-chicken-burrito-bowls/">this recipe</a> for a burrito bowl with chicken. It cooked in the Crock Pot for four hours total. All I had to do was add the ingredients and then do a massive amount of laundry while I waited. This is now my favorite type of cooking. I have a meal for the entire week and I barely had to do anything! I have a feeling this will be my new Sunday routine. It feels good to have something homemade, yet super easy. And at the end, you only have one pot to wash. YES.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you have any favorite slow cooker recipes, leave them in the comments! </span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-68120807790349150112015-11-12T07:12:00.004-08:002015-11-12T07:12:43.584-08:00currently :: 013<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">1. a friend bought me this! best surprise.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4raoNriSrzeMuq6Uthkx4JqEOG4-HFYAqlWwPJSMyEfL2uR_4X6xhVgoLzQ6kNj7piosR5fjdZCpKvKbbjMNKV0jOZ_1ROVCVEqlRFmbEF583rq43WXBPFwBqVvW8LEO1jM2lg2Ppuw/s1600/waffle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4raoNriSrzeMuq6Uthkx4JqEOG4-HFYAqlWwPJSMyEfL2uR_4X6xhVgoLzQ6kNj7piosR5fjdZCpKvKbbjMNKV0jOZ_1ROVCVEqlRFmbEF583rq43WXBPFwBqVvW8LEO1jM2lg2Ppuw/s400/waffle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">2. it's a month filled with both birth and death, which has been strange. my friend ashley gave birth to her first beautiful baby boy this week. i also had to attend a memorial service for my friend's mom, who will be greatly missed. happy + sad extremes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">3. i need to get cracking on christmas shopping. every year i wait until black friday/cyber monday and do it all at once (because hello, deals). but then i get calls from my credit card company asking me if i've had my identity stolen because who would spend $300 on Old Navy sweaters? yeahhhh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">4. every few months i have a dinner date with a good friend that i don't see super often. we always go to Bonefish and stay there until like 11 PM. i am so looking forward to that. there's nothing like a good, long chat with your girlfriends.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">5. can someone explain this november weather to me? sometimes it's warm, sometimes it's so not. HELP.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">6. a PSA to everyone who cares about the Starbucks cups: you need to find a hobby or something.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">7. my favorite coffee shop has this maple latte that is soooo good. they make up special drinks every month and they are always delicious. plus every time i'm at the register, i'm tempted to buy a bacon-filled chocolate bar. WIN.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">8. speaking of maple flavors-- <a href="http://www.kindsnacks.com/store/maple-pumpkin-seeds.html">these KIND bars</a>. yum!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">9. i need boots. specifically, black-maybe suede-everyday-casual but cute-can go with a lot of things boots. (i'm starting to understand why men think we are complicated.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">10. <a href="http://adrianatrigiani.com/books/big-stone-gap-series/">my favorite book</a> has been made into a movie. i am scared to see it... after reading this book countless times over the past 14 years (<i>woah</i>), i have such a clear vision of the characters as i see them in my mind. the movie will probably ruin that. side note: i have read all of her novels and she is my favorite. give it a try! (start with the Big Stone Gap series.)</span>Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-60345075320064602732015-11-09T07:25:00.001-08:002015-11-09T07:58:01.803-08:00flamingle-ing and monkey assualt: a day at the zoo<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Over the weekend, Laura, my sister and I went to the Baltimore zoo. I hadn't been in ages and I incessantly whine to Laura about the lack of animals in my life right now, so it was either this or get me a pet (never gonna happen). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">To start, this one of my favorite memes to ever float around the internet:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTjGJc7SzBxzE4WWniw6Liam7qOeY2B4Ix81ohmr46Wp_XC9wgmkGEe1FpFpy5ZFeclr3ZoCQcrWK22sphgY8cmEIVMpDgzeZHtjkhKzchslpgYiihcsOAkbENScOwahJfxIvpq59A_A/s1600/flam.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTjGJc7SzBxzE4WWniw6Liam7qOeY2B4Ix81ohmr46Wp_XC9wgmkGEe1FpFpy5ZFeclr3ZoCQcrWK22sphgY8cmEIVMpDgzeZHtjkhKzchslpgYiihcsOAkbENScOwahJfxIvpq59A_A/s400/flam.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />So naturally, I was more than thrilled to find my tribe. I think I fit right in.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjgLeRRdf9zn7QvvECES28YBPlO-g7bhxx7_M2cioGvAPtqQKwi3mGveLUlYxuTothGE8yGD9MvUo477Vmgcm5l9WaSxMCDTA-OKxJ6RSAfS3YG45WIS4CvElJj6utnn3Rlgs51qIrrk/s1600/me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjgLeRRdf9zn7QvvECES28YBPlO-g7bhxx7_M2cioGvAPtqQKwi3mGveLUlYxuTothGE8yGD9MvUo477Vmgcm5l9WaSxMCDTA-OKxJ6RSAfS3YG45WIS4CvElJj6utnn3Rlgs51qIrrk/s1600/me.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_S0mGpMrx7Mgt6zeFi67HgpRcQ5dPojmQ7wlP59rn7e3iZ57gJ2s1pTqPy49N7O8cP0ehyphenhyphen0Y4GqXLzBqof-Wq_7y9bTPVX1aRUQfuy6wl_rAOGKfGM-kljK9P3Kg25sMrvu7GC1d4tJU/s1600/flam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_S0mGpMrx7Mgt6zeFi67HgpRcQ5dPojmQ7wlP59rn7e3iZ57gJ2s1pTqPy49N7O8cP0ehyphenhyphen0Y4GqXLzBqof-Wq_7y9bTPVX1aRUQfuy6wl_rAOGKfGM-kljK9P3Kg25sMrvu7GC1d4tJU/s640/flam.jpg" width="480" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I bet they're all single too. I feel you, my sisters! (I assume they're all female.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I lounged on a polar bear, which was actually super uncomfortable and I think my back is bruised:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM53Ja6ZT9WNQsrFwj_Ek_kLsMXe4c_hYxngoIDZbYlqLyl06N5y7w5umRssRmihrPeN8yYuSZt5mmMZujeepIngk7aB7guJWHZqyedlKhi3mE0ZvcY8NW_2UbCJC4_qb0oOhOPaNKlNg/s1600/baer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM53Ja6ZT9WNQsrFwj_Ek_kLsMXe4c_hYxngoIDZbYlqLyl06N5y7w5umRssRmihrPeN8yYuSZt5mmMZujeepIngk7aB7guJWHZqyedlKhi3mE0ZvcY8NW_2UbCJC4_qb0oOhOPaNKlNg/s640/baer.jpg" width="350" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The penguins were particularly friendly that day. My sister gave them a classic Native American name: White Eyebrow.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2udjwatquku5OmyHoeM557LAgKDDtErHFKlTInTLdRzEKjnOs5mw5jRKWKMokq7fugL1A-WjBsmi5-L6LITEVOLpI7HV3Y6HOfPOjFGBGDHkq1Uif43trsjLQaNk_7c0khD-aJbXxlAg/s1600/peng.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2udjwatquku5OmyHoeM557LAgKDDtErHFKlTInTLdRzEKjnOs5mw5jRKWKMokq7fugL1A-WjBsmi5-L6LITEVOLpI7HV3Y6HOfPOjFGBGDHkq1Uif43trsjLQaNk_7c0khD-aJbXxlAg/s640/peng.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have had a special love of lemurs ever since I saw an episode of Miami Ink. A girl came in to get tattooed with her pet lemur. It cuddled with her while she got work done. That soft tail! Where can I get one?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPW-3zqqcF3pxcuCGz8ozKFpxFmtpWqKKCVjzL83lcoXHxBw1qr4s_FN7fX9eIvUqt6_Hwmaokm6rc7p2cOuriEVQ4MfolX7HfRTP9UfTyRXV6u4B14KiGTYRl0w0SSRw1_CvclrxOnQ/s1600/lemur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPW-3zqqcF3pxcuCGz8ozKFpxFmtpWqKKCVjzL83lcoXHxBw1qr4s_FN7fX9eIvUqt6_Hwmaokm6rc7p2cOuriEVQ4MfolX7HfRTP9UfTyRXV6u4B14KiGTYRl0w0SSRw1_CvclrxOnQ/s640/lemur.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">My sister wouldn't stop singing the song from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdcTmpvDO0I">Madagascar</a>, by the way. And here is one doing yoga/meditating. He was pretty zen. Arms outstretched, opening his heart to the world. Way to focus, lemur. You do you. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWMWqJi651TPKXh9mDBlKj9uQcedHjAxmDk4upD_hrRgbB6VLO0yfTpOQRrKGuEfF03VQ28pmRba-ckfY7KMTmZ2tUsTbHju6V6izFMjAACwlbNfY_vJPy6f_O1I4rdoMp0RyACV_n2c/s1600/lemur2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWMWqJi651TPKXh9mDBlKj9uQcedHjAxmDk4upD_hrRgbB6VLO0yfTpOQRrKGuEfF03VQ28pmRba-ckfY7KMTmZ2tUsTbHju6V6izFMjAACwlbNfY_vJPy6f_O1I4rdoMp0RyACV_n2c/s640/lemur2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And now for the highlight of the day. We went to the chimpanzee exhibit. Laura has had a strong resistance toward monkeys for a long time, and watching Planet of the Apes didn't help. She says they are too intelligent and aggressive. I agree, but considering we were at the zoo and not Jane Goodall-ing it out in the jungle, I figured we were pretty safe. After all, the monkeys are behind a strong wall. And the whole point of the zoo is to look at them, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, we roll through the monkey area... watching them swing and play and take naps (super cute, by the way). We made our way to a section that had a huge enclosure with four or five chimps in it. We were watching for a while, not doing anything, just observing. The biggest chimp, who is sitting closest to us, started clapping. How fun and cute, we said! Two seconds later... he pursed his lips like so...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGf3i-0XK_Pg_GXTqgTSz8rnhX-47vw_Trwhg5aw9Up5fbA8emHc9ZBM84kVM1ss4xsksop2xYmIMojJnniM_Hc0gEksOUvQ2iaICp7E_aVVj6cRpH9kk12c9KdBRfW-0Xl-mZxE-Ca-s/s1600/chimp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGf3i-0XK_Pg_GXTqgTSz8rnhX-47vw_Trwhg5aw9Up5fbA8emHc9ZBM84kVM1ss4xsksop2xYmIMojJnniM_Hc0gEksOUvQ2iaICp7E_aVVj6cRpH9kk12c9KdBRfW-0Xl-mZxE-Ca-s/s640/chimp2.jpg" width="350" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">... makes eye contact with us, gets a wild look in his eye, and CHARGES. He stampedes toward us, picks up his giant water bowl, throws it at us, and then comes at us full force and slams his whole body angrily into the glass right where we are standing. We FREAKED. I'm pretty sure we all screamed... and I'm laughing to myself right now, but it was pretty scary in the moment. Even though there was a wall between us and he obviously couldn't get out, the way he came at us scared the crap out of us. One minute he seemed fine and the next, he was trying to body check us through the wall with pure rage. Needless to say, Laura's worst nightmare came true :) Here's some photo evidence of the aftermath:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWm0vi6ud7okYtFiHL_C0epW4VGEr8lRoOanFkZMRBAOY8wPkor8O2CIx00WxcKTKr84l9grTOHzGXsvV-CU4VZs7P0mOcaOwKhChL6tW7mi3RX2wN3gOgpbE244d11mV40uqhBlV3u_o/s1600/chimp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWm0vi6ud7okYtFiHL_C0epW4VGEr8lRoOanFkZMRBAOY8wPkor8O2CIx00WxcKTKr84l9grTOHzGXsvV-CU4VZs7P0mOcaOwKhChL6tW7mi3RX2wN3gOgpbE244d11mV40uqhBlV3u_o/s640/chimp.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can see the chimp's handprints on th<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">e wa<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">ll where he slammed into it. Laura's reaction a<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">lone made the whole trip worthw<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">hil<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">e :) I have to say that one of the other chimps was <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">very lovely. He came up to us and was putting his hand up to ours, interacting c<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">almly. Laura eve<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">n pa<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">rticip<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">ated.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhPRqrOpQokDTNEZ-vHL87XB1CzJBXuh8OYI21-UzQLRSPs1uZXPifPiNxOcHtuiS6fuTZ_-zCscigk0s639fpD0tQFkN_aRtQ1Xvqucn5JueZsy8JlZv04C3o6Aa2teahtAa9ezkjkw/s1600/chimp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhPRqrOpQokDTNEZ-vHL87XB1CzJBXuh8OYI21-UzQLRSPs1uZXPifPiNxOcHtuiS6fuTZ_-zCscigk0s639fpD0tQFkN_aRtQ1Xvqucn5JueZsy8JlZv04C3o6Aa2teahtAa9ezkjkw/s640/chimp.jpg" width="350" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">Note to self: If you visit the zoo, don't make eye contact with the giant apes<span style="color: #0000ee;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-38781553765321161032015-11-06T06:43:00.002-08:002015-11-06T06:43:42.448-08:00change.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcs6mo8CxEDrSK8z1MddXeSg9A9HQgz9FonBoXC0vZOtnN0lQetJzfRy-OgVeFkCe4WAbnceIPjP_EHru0WNla0zuWZNjMYxi6d36LR4jBWQYGGviANPkl3Y5VwWpU6_sWodtHjkF1tqA/s1600/leaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcs6mo8CxEDrSK8z1MddXeSg9A9HQgz9FonBoXC0vZOtnN0lQetJzfRy-OgVeFkCe4WAbnceIPjP_EHru0WNla0zuWZNjMYxi6d36LR4jBWQYGGviANPkl3Y5VwWpU6_sWodtHjkF1tqA/s640/leaf.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">if you know me, you know that i hate change. it's a tough thing for me to grasp, life moving on when i have no say in it. i know that change is good for us and allows us to grow, but i wish i had more warning sometimes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">these past few months have been challenging. i am getting excited for the end of this year. some good things have happened to me, yes, but 2015 had a messy start. it didn't set the tone well for the rest of it, and i've had a hard time shaking that off. i am sincerely hoping that 2016 brings good things. or at least a happy beginning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">i'm big on reflection; i like to look back and see what my experiences have been over the past months or year. this is why i journal, although not nearly as often as i used to. if you're wondering what has been keeping me from this blog for the past couple of months, it's a combination of things. lack of wanting to write combined with laziness. feeling like i have nothing good to say. struggling with expression and not wanting to sound mundane.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">and then there are the actual life events that keep me from coming back here. can we be honest for a minute? life gets really hard in a way that is difficult to explain to anyone. i have anxiety that i can't stop. i have sleepless nights where i incessantly think about my past, present, and future. i need help but i fool myself into thinking that because i am a christian, relying on God should be enough to fix me. (spoiler alert: sometimes you just need extra, physical help and there is <i>nothing </i>wrong with that.) and i am deeply affected by what happens around me: a friend's mother unexpectedly dying, my own mother's struggle with mental illness, relationships that can't and don't work out. lots of heaviness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">i'm sorry if it sounds like i'm complaining and have become the most negative person in the world. not every day is awful. circumstances just have a way of sneaking up at the same time and splitting me into little pieces, each struggling for a different reason. "this too shall pass" used to be a mantra for me, but there are certain situations that will not go away quickly and are not bound to be resolved for a long time. that's probably the hardest part. when there is no end in sight, how do you get past it? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">anyway, i wanted to come back to this space and start being present here again. don't worry, the future posts won't all be like this. in fact, there is a lot of good among the difficult right now. i have supportive friends and overall, a great life. i am happy. i am also trying to keep my head above water. if you're also having a hard time right now, give a listen to <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QyCkwAGoVChMIhPiHp4P8yAIVx0qICh1v_gJ7&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DsjnLAInEu5k&usg=AFQjCNH7ewkb2YvzTLwJMqqAw_t_GwavAw&sig2=nTup0kK7CoQnRATh3oo7hg">this song</a>. it's been playing nonstop for me and helps keep me grounded.</span>Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-23383896291491501342015-08-31T09:42:00.000-07:002015-08-31T09:42:09.550-07:00god's timing<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If any of you out there are my fellow Christians, then you know a thing or two about God's timing. I find that my own personal experiences with this is the best way to explain to someone (specifically non-believers) why I believe. No one can deny personal examples of how God has worked in your life. They might not choose to believe it for themselves, but they can't tell you that your experiences aren't real. So every time I feel like a blatant "God Thing" has happened in my life, I try to journal about it or store it somewhere in my brain to pull out when I want to share my own version of the good news.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">One of these examples came to me over the weekend. A month or so ago, I put "Searching for Sunday" by Rachel Held Evans on hold at my local library. Since it's a fairly new book and she is pretty popular among the Christians, it took weeks for it to get to my name on the list. It just so happens I got my turn to read it when my pastor made the official announcement that my church is closing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The book's tagline is "loving, leaving, and finding the church". I knew it was about Rachel's experience of leaving her church and trying to find a new one, but I didn't know that there would be a big chunk about how she and a few friends started their own church... and how it failed after just one year. (Side note: my pastor and I have had many conversations about how we will not consider the closing of our church a "failure", but that's the word Rachel chooses to use in her book.) While reading about her experience and struggling through my own feelings about the place where I've lead worship, felt community, and attended for five years, I found myself comforted by her thoughts on the subject. Particularly this part:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Even our unsuccessful church plant managed to produce some fruit of the
Spirit along the way. We baptized, broke bread, preached the word, and
confessed our sins. We created a sanctuary where people told the truth
without fear. We worked through our differences with care and grace and
we learned, perhaps the hard way, the church isn't static. It's not a
building, or a denomination, or a nonprofit organization. Church is a
moment in time when the kingdom of God draws near, when a meal, a story,
a song, an apology, and even a failure is made holy by the presence of
Jesus among us and within us."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">The things she lists are so true for me and my church, and that's how I know that our little church plant was never a failure. We will all take something away from it that we learned and that helped us grow. And where God's timing comes in is how I could have bought the book months ago, or gotten it from the library a few weeks ago, but reading it then would not have been as important to me as it is right now. In the midst of having to face my church shutting down and struggling with what to do next, both as an attendee of church and a worship leader, I needed to hear Rachel's words right in this moment. Not weeks or months ago, but <i>now.</i> I believe that God knew it, and I believe in His timing as a testimony to share.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you would like to watch the video announcement my pastor made about our closing, it's available <a href="https://www.facebook.com/beaconhillmd">here</a>. </span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-42926010736044767002015-08-24T08:16:00.002-07:002015-08-24T08:16:47.238-07:00changes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That phrase is something Laura and I have started saying regularly... and often in a silly way just to laugh ("burritos, am i right?!"). If nothing else, it puts a bright spot in the day. Say it to yourself today, I guarantee it will make you feel better!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In other news. change is my middle name these days. It's basically covering all the bases of my life: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">1. <i>Home</i>: Laura went and got herself a boyfriend! He's great and nice and I was already friends with him, so I approve. So excited for them! Heart eyes for days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> 2. <i>Work</i>: I am switching teams at work. At first I was not particularly thrilled seeing as this is the first time in a year that I've actually enjoyed my job and I finally have a decent manager, but then she told us she was leaving the team too, so... bring it on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> 3. <i>Church</i>: We made the announcement yesterday that my church is closing its doors at the end of September. This is necessary but really not the easiest thing. I've been the worship leader there for the past five years. I will miss my team and the community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">4. <i>Friends</i>: A lot of my friends are moving away. Texas, England, Hawaii... I'm happy for all of their exciting opportunities but why do they all have to leave me?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They say life is never-ending learning experience... I'm certainly being tested on that lately. </span> </div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-20032197411907434312015-08-18T07:56:00.000-07:002015-08-18T07:56:02.122-07:00tunes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> A couple of songs I've been playing around the house that have been stuck in my head. Particularly in the guest room on some mornings before the roommate and I head to brunch.</span><br />
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Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-13204726046424813762015-08-17T10:30:00.000-07:002015-08-17T10:30:02.064-07:00Hot August<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">image via google</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Life is an ever-eventful thing, don't you think? There hasn't been a boring moment for me yet this summer. I've had beach trips and brunches, trips to my childhood county fair and concerts, the most recent of which was Saturday (see picture above). I've been going to the <a href="http://www.hotaugustmusicfestival.com/">Hot August Music Festival</a> for four years now, and it's always a musician's dream. I've been getting my fill of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Thile">Chris Thile</a> with <a href="http://nickelcreek.com/">Nickel Creek</a> being there last year and <a href="http://www.punchbrothers.com/">Punch Brothers</a> this year. But the gem of the night was seeing <a href="http://countingcrows.com/">Counting Crows</a> for (I think) the sixth time. I was there with my friend Meghan, who I used to see CC with every summer for a long while, so that was very special for us. To top it off, Meghan's friend was washing his hands in the bathroom with Adam right next to him... and unfortunately he said that Adam was kind of a grump. But after the show started he seemed to loosen up a bit after almost dropping the mic on his face while holding the stand up in the air. (He caught it and kept singing like magic, don't worry.) We had the most amazing time, despite the sun being <i>so</i> hot and me sliding/falling down a small hill at one point because grass + my flip flops didn't do me any favors. If you're in the Baltimore-ish area, I highly recommend this festival every summer! Amazing music, food, drinks, and friends.</span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-84928000476931521012015-07-14T07:35:00.001-07:002015-07-14T07:35:03.467-07:00shake it off<div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Finally, seven months later, Laura got her Christmas present from me. T Swift came to town! It was fun, it was fabulous, it was amazing, it was a dance party. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Excuse the quality of these pictures. I can't afford to be front row, you know. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Vance Joy was there too. He was great and cute. And Australian.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">And Haim! I do love these girls. I first saw them open for Of Monsters and Men (I think) and fell in love. Nobody rocks like they do. Seriously, as an all-girl sister band in the rock genre-- they're kicking ass.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm sure you've heard of the wristbands they've been giving out with Taylor's shows. They light up to the beat of the songs and it was awesome when they first started activating. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On the way to the show, Laura and I kept debating which surprise celebrity would show up. After throwing around about a million names, I told Laura my gut felt like it would be Lorde. And my gut was right! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was so much fun and I'm glad we got to go. She really does put on a great show and we danced and sang and laughed. Good times for a Monday! </span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-42686374457757509922015-07-09T10:25:00.004-07:002015-07-09T10:25:38.825-07:0029.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Behold, the best birthday present in all the land! My best friend Alicia got it for me. She knows me so well. (I secretly wish boom boxes were still popular.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm 29 today. And apart from a few tears shed last night in a moment of panic while watching Shark Tank and Call the Midwives with my roommate, I feel pretty okay about it. I am excited to celebrate with my closest friends this weekend (and my sister!). I am thankful that my mom is doing okay and still with me. I feel lucky to have so many friends text me and Facebook me their well wishes. They really do love me! And I love them. I had a conversation with my good friend Elizabeth today that went like this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">E: I am so glad to have you in my life. And I plan on having you in it for the next 29 years... And beyond</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">S: Same! Don't ever leave me ;)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">E: Never! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">#friendshipgoals</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Here's a funny thing: I have had a tradition for the past 4+ years of taking off work on my birthday. This year, I thought about it and realized the only reason I ever took off was because I hated the jobs I had before this one. My birthday used to be the perfect excuse to not come into the office. But this year is so beautifully different. I like my job. My work is meaningful, and I have a great team of people. I <i>wanted</i> to come in today. What a good feeling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And tonight's birthday dinner shall be Steak 'n' Shake! They just opened one near us. I haven't had their food since I was in Florida a few years ago. It's Laura's favorite (midwestern girl, you know) and I am excited for us to go tonight for the first time in forever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">29, you are not so bad.</span>Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-91358599262303152792015-07-07T10:41:00.001-07:002015-07-07T11:50:34.294-07:00food.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUjG31xgglTL6m_qZsTaJa-E_cZOEPwwoE-QTw_27oBJ5bU-MjVBirj_XINAMr5VQEmwsRXACvLdDKk7LZWFXJnSldsFNzLDWsaSQghU4fm70bFHPkWNKPyWqgae1E0eVwiQiWOdNXp8/s1600/original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUjG31xgglTL6m_qZsTaJa-E_cZOEPwwoE-QTw_27oBJ5bU-MjVBirj_XINAMr5VQEmwsRXACvLdDKk7LZWFXJnSldsFNzLDWsaSQghU4fm70bFHPkWNKPyWqgae1E0eVwiQiWOdNXp8/s640/original.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> image via google</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am such a foodie at heart. For real. I looooove food. I praise the Lord every day for good genetics and minimal gym time. The only time I hate food is after the stomach flu, which has occurred twice in the past two years. One of those times was on my friend's wedding day and it <i>sucked.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Anyway. FOOD!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There are so many things I want to try this year after I turn 29. I think everyone has their go-to's and those are hard to get away from. I will most likely choose a specialty grilled cheese 98% of the time. And Laura gets grossed out by all the weirdo stuff I like to try (squid ink pasta, YUM). Here are some things on my list (food + places):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">1. Chicken & waffles</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">2. Steak 'n' Shake (I have only had it once but I need it again)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">3. More authentic ramen</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">4. Fried green tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">5. Bagel & lox</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">6. Woodberry Kitchen</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">7. Cold soup (like cucumber)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">8.<span class="st"> Croque-madame (or I'd settle for a croque-monsieur)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="st">9. Many different kinds of mustard (never ketchup for this girl)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="st">10. Lamb (sorry, little sheeps)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="st">11. Quail egg</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="st">12. Bone marrow (yes, sounds disgusting but lots of people like it)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="st">13. Fried pickles</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="st">14. Frog legs</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">15. Lobster roll</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">16. </span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_17_2_1_1436294874927_1159"><span class="Apple-style-span" id="yui_3_17_2_1_1436294874927_1158" style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Bánh mì</span></span></span> </span><br />
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<span class="st"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">To name a few. We'll see how far I get. Half the problem is finding someone to go eat all of this with... </span></span>Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-31596308578337344792015-07-06T08:15:00.001-07:002015-07-06T08:17:48.397-07:00three days left.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAnBSI05P0c-wIzsPdDB0q1dmCm_cKPeBgtTUIsahkdHn2dhY5IxpNYuxJM4xYcvgQSl5y7QTptpQAp3DmsUt8ZPBK-8Fge42rlVPO8QoFLWe1Aprl3Ec6SmUcp-uBNCxqfQsdwjHXqc/s1600/old.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAnBSI05P0c-wIzsPdDB0q1dmCm_cKPeBgtTUIsahkdHn2dhY5IxpNYuxJM4xYcvgQSl5y7QTptpQAp3DmsUt8ZPBK-8Fge42rlVPO8QoFLWe1Aprl3Ec6SmUcp-uBNCxqfQsdwjHXqc/s640/old.jpg" width="466" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">image via google</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am turning 29 in three days. It terrifies me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You guys, I really don't want to leave my twenties. They have been the best. And now that I will only have one year left of them, it makes me feel <i>old</i>. I know all the over-30's out there are laughing maniacally at the screen right now. But it's weird to move into a stage of life that you don't feel like you fit into. I feel like I will be a 26-28 year old at heart for a very long time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My life doesn't look the same as most 29 year olds that I know. A lot of them are married by now. Some of them have two+ kids already, or have spent their twenties cultivating successful careers. But I am happy with where I am. I have an awesome roommate (and cheap rent, I might add!), so many friends that my birthday invite list was 35 people without even trying, and I keep living my life the way I want. It sounds really selfish, doesn't it? But I really enjoy not having to worry about making someone else happy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've been reflecting on this past year and I wanted to make a list of 28 things I did or accomplished this year. And hopefully this will inspire me to do even more when I'm 29.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">1. Experienced a dead-end job, got out of said job, became employed at a great job with great people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">2. One of my best friends had a baby. I witnessed one of my best friends get engaged. Two of my best girls got married.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">3. Started getting monthly massages and it has proved to be worth it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">4. Stopped caring about working out and focused on eating better. But I will never stop eating Chick-fil-A. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">5. Went to Hawaii. (Still so amazed by that.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">6. Made it through the roughest Christmas of my life and came out the other side with a better understanding of my mother and how depression/anxiety relates to my family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">7. Let a friend go for the right reasons with no regrets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">8. Spent some memorable, quality times with my best girlfriends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">9. Went camping for the first time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">10. Held a chinchilla.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">11. Played some open mics and got a really encouraging response.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">12. Discovered the joy that is <a href="http://www.cnbcprime.com/shark-tank/">Shark Tank</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">13. Went to brunch a lot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">14. Worked through some hard times with my church.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">15. Got really excited over my friend Emily's "long time coming" engagement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">16. Read more books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">17. Embraced Nutella/Hazelnut liqueur milkshakes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">18. Saw all these shows: Ben Folds with the BSO, Grace Potter, Ed Sheeran, Audrey Assad, Needtobreathe, Dave Barnes, Chadwick Stokes, Mae, Milo Greene, Good Old War, Matt Wertz/Dave Barnes/Jon McLaughlin, Denison Witmer/William Fitzsimmons, The Weepies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">19. Got a new tattoo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">20. Finally saw Wicked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">21.Celebrated my high school band director's retirement for an entire weekend and got to thank my elementary and middle school band directors for instilling music in me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">22. Went to my 10 year high school reunion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">23. Spent a full day resting and watching Netflix. (Literally, all day.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">24. Bought a ukulele.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">25. Buffalo Wild Wings Sundays became a thing with my roommate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">26. $6.50 movies on Tuesdays.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">27. Had important conversations with friends about everything from anxiety to babies to relationships to heartbreak.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">28. Learned (and am still learning) how to forgive myself for things and let God take control.</span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-75434690976802926742015-06-25T11:14:00.000-07:002015-06-25T11:14:55.420-07:00currently :: 012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrzJ7NaWEnPEslgbITNiH1WXh0T3vuZb8fKtbuBPjhuDIcJpptWUiz_qmlAuk_1IUMd-Tkxtzk0wxaNn7s9jsaSgr8XE-f2Fi8xt5JQjQ_laEsS_YGWzGHJnOvMmgGLbgMwHMkltxzLQ/s1600/large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrzJ7NaWEnPEslgbITNiH1WXh0T3vuZb8fKtbuBPjhuDIcJpptWUiz_qmlAuk_1IUMd-Tkxtzk0wxaNn7s9jsaSgr8XE-f2Fi8xt5JQjQ_laEsS_YGWzGHJnOvMmgGLbgMwHMkltxzLQ/s640/large.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">lots of things happening in life lately: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">< thunderstorms. particularly one that i drove thorough that felt like a scene from <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=twister+meme&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Nz6MVZGUE8a_ggSq5ID4CA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1284&bih=529#imgrc=U2WoTv9gp0OiCM%253A%3BTRLeocFpTkQdnM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fs2.quickmeme.com%252Fimg%252F43%252F43a760ff4ea86553b4c8ddec46ab37ba22f97748cd92c9171ef3c5c32dc1a7d9.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.quickmeme.com%252Ftwister%3B625%3B363">Twister</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">> $6.50 movies on Tuesdays. one of the best kept secrets in this town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">< plans on plans on plans on plans. so many plans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">> no sleeping. that's definitely not happening!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">< buying my friends baby shower gifts. two of them are getting ready to have babies soon!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">> watching Jurassic Park and kind of wishing that was real... without being eaten by a dino. also, when i was in Hawaii, we boat-toured around the Na Pali coast where it was filmed. <i>awesome.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">< looking forward to some traveling: Philly, the beach, and Vegas are coming up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">> sending Laura tons of Buzzfeeds that make me think of her. that site is such a timesuck.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">< dealing with some rough things and choices to make, but weathering the storm as best i know how. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">> feeling very thankful for a job that i like going to every day and coworkers who i am getting to know better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">< playing around with some covers-- Elastic Heart is my new favorite. (listen on my <a href="https://instagram.com/loveornothing_/">Instagram</a>!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">> visiting my best friend Dan, my godson, and his new baby brother. holding my friend's babies never gets old.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">< spending too much money these days. i always have a month once in a blue moon where i just keep buying things. they are things i will use and like, but it's still a bad habit!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">> speaking of... in love with my <a href="https://www.katespade.com/perri-lane-bubbles-lynne/WKRU3106,en_US,pd.html?dwvar_WKRU3106_color=153&cgid=ks-sale-handbags-wallets#start=25&cgid=ks-sale-handbags-wallets">latest Kate Spade</a>. no regrets.i also got it for less than it's showing now!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">< i rearranged my room last week. it feels so refreshing. i brought my desk up from the basement because my gorgeous iMac wasn't getting any love with nowhere to put it. i'm proud of moving it all by myself, but the bruises on my legs and arms aren't so pretty.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">> the bikini top struggle is real. A-club for life and it's equal parts great and terrible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">< bonfires out in farmland at Brooke and Bob's. their goats always greet me and i love it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">> watching all the season 4 episodes of The Hills before they disappear from MTV OnDemand. (it's time well spent, trust me.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">< when i feel strongly that i <i>need</i> a puppy, i go <a href="http://www.charmcitypuppies.com/">here</a> and play with them. my friend's sister is the manager, so that helps!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">until next time!</span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-82776133969275310232015-06-22T07:12:00.001-07:002015-06-22T07:12:13.870-07:00music monday :: the weepies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMwK2wP7-2F4mILdQUp7IkQvqjqK1VoC0QZnghuNcBhpBEIX3iuhDbIi2ycYnNPognBily9K95frMV2l6TNkqrPIfQC0KUt5ZvN5B4RWDkUEY4XV6rjISjImgHzhyphenhyphenSPealAE41KDkQR4/s1600/weepies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMwK2wP7-2F4mILdQUp7IkQvqjqK1VoC0QZnghuNcBhpBEIX3iuhDbIi2ycYnNPognBily9K95frMV2l6TNkqrPIfQC0KUt5ZvN5B4RWDkUEY4XV6rjISjImgHzhyphenhyphenSPealAE41KDkQR4/s640/weepies.jpg" width="556" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">image via google</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The first time I ever heard about <a href="http://www.theweepies.com/">The Weepies</a>, I was in college going to a show at <a href="https://www.worldcafelive.com/">World Cafe Live</a> to see <a href="http://www.teitur.com/">Teitur </a>(so many hyperlinks in one sentence!). Teitur was playing downstairs and my friend Bryan, who was the musical genius of my friends, saw that The Weepies were playing upstairs and commented on it. After that, I became obsessed with their music and to this day I wish I could have gone upstairs to see them! They've been around for a while and have such a cool story. Finally, the day has come! I am seeing them tonight at <a href="http://www.ramsheadonstage.com/">Ram's Head On Stage</a>, which is pretty much perfection as it is one of the more intimate venues in the area. It's one of my favorites and I'm <i>so</i> excited to finally see two of my favorite people perform live. They bring such a unique writing and vocal style to the table. (If you've heard Deb Talan sing, you will be as intrigued as me to hear her speaking voice! Haha.) PS - they basically have my dream story. They liked each other's music, met, formed the band, ended up getting married and now have three kids. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They just released a <a href="http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/04/the-weepies-sirens-review.html">new album</a> this year, and it's so good. Here's one of my favorites.</span></div>
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Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-84685224996864684552015-06-12T07:47:00.001-07:002015-06-12T07:47:16.655-07:00camping at assateague + mumford<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's been a super busy few weeks. Last weekend I went on a camping trip to <a href="http://dnr2.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/eastern/assateague.aspx">Assateague</a>. This is a trip that has happened for the last <i>six </i>years, and it's planned by my roommate, but I could never go! Between the years of wedding celebrations and just overall having plans in place, I've had to miss it. This year everyone insisted I put it on my calendar months in advance, so with that and some declined invitations, I was set to go. And I'm glad I did... this is not your average camping trip! This is 36 people, beach, campfires, thunderstorms, tons of food, secret sangria, hiding in a tent drinking wine, etc. It was awesome. Not to mention the wild horses are always part of the fun!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Flamingo bikinis!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Love these girls.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2ZLoGaBexr-mjVtBYb_ItdXPwAWyZPxMEYxE01JL4ECf7In_FvuB1-xER0jW8ETzQNjArcAU1U9blPP-od8GhgchKypy8oplK5qNxJnqvPMP0vA1tTnKxKVu0hyphenhyphenEET-a3SnSQAbJRtc/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2ZLoGaBexr-mjVtBYb_ItdXPwAWyZPxMEYxE01JL4ECf7In_FvuB1-xER0jW8ETzQNjArcAU1U9blPP-od8GhgchKypy8oplK5qNxJnqvPMP0vA1tTnKxKVu0hyphenhyphenEET-a3SnSQAbJRtc/s640/5.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Dance party in a rainstorm. My stuff got flooded in the tent, but oh well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And Wednesday night, I saw <a href="http://www.mumfordandsons.com/">Mumford & Sons</a> again. They are always such a dream to see live. Marcus Mumford's voice is CRAZY. How does he give it so much power and still have any voice left?! One of life's greatest mysteries. Pictures aren't the greatest because we were on the lawn, but it was fun. Also, it was in celebration of my friend Meghan's birthday. So it was even better!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> I tend to ignore outrageous concert prices and drink ALL THE THINGS. This blueberry vodka lemonade was so worth it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last night my soul sister Jude texted me trying to get rid of <a href="http://lanadelrey.com/">Lana Del Ray</a> tickets... and I was oh so tempted. But it was at the last minute, an hour away, and a weeknight when everyone is busy. I tried not to feel lame for saying no... but the feeling still haunts me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">One more thing. My <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/howard-magazine/ph-mg-ho-enzman-20150603-story.html#page=1">high school band director is retiring</a> after 41 years! Click the link for the article the Baltimore Sun wrote about him. Before you go off on a "nerd alert" tangent... this man is incredible. He is the best, not in a biased way, but in an "every Maryland band director wants to know him and be him" way. I played flute for 10 years, and four of those years were under him. He is a tough director and challenged me in the biggest ways. My courage to perform music in front of others and my love for classical comes from the music I played with him. Some of my favorite memories are winning championships, taking trips with the band every year, and football game halftime shows with the marching unit. Tonight kicks off his weekend-long celebration and I am so happy to be able to go, give him a hug, and see fellow alumni. I'm so proud to have been a part of <a href="http://www.glenelgbands.com/">this band</a> and to have been influenced by his talent. There's no one better.</span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132797781078139196.post-36474631189250433442015-06-02T06:06:00.001-07:002015-06-02T08:56:56.071-07:00featured :: curated [old town]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaO5TicOpxVRgrNy53Xe2bfi-Csi4vbQEPsKJW9iaOSghfBSB3nlHE94pohJhEy1jnKoqUJdq2Owgr9hFRGdKa3bqszZ6oz3qLJ21LvUBtbI5BrNEokANrHvD0CGnzdzE_CzSPoxlMBY/s1600/curated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaO5TicOpxVRgrNy53Xe2bfi-Csi4vbQEPsKJW9iaOSghfBSB3nlHE94pohJhEy1jnKoqUJdq2Owgr9hFRGdKa3bqszZ6oz3qLJ21LvUBtbI5BrNEokANrHvD0CGnzdzE_CzSPoxlMBY/s640/curated.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">image via <a href="http://www.curatedoldtown.com/">Curated</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm not normally a person who wins things. Half the time I don't enter contests because the odds are <i>not</i> ever in my favor. I don't get the ticket-winning gene from my dad (who spends a lot of time calling into radio stations, but also spends a lot of time enjoying country concerts and flying to the iHeart Music Festival in Miami). It's safe to say that I don't care enough to put effort into winning things :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My friend/old roommate Twila moved to Arlington, VA recently, and found this new shop in Alexandria. A notification popped up on my Instagram telling me she had tagged me in a random drawing to win $25 from the shop. We actually won! I was so excited to actually win something, I forgot to check out what the shop was all about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.curatedoldtown.com/">Curated</a> is a brand new shop in the heart of Old Town Alexandria-- so new, in fact, that they weren't even open yet when I won the contest! They kept my interest as I browsed through their <a href="https://instagram.com/curated_oldtown">Instagram</a>, though. So may cute things I wanted to snatch up! I just had to be patient and wait. But the owner, Page, was great about emailing me and making sure I wasn't forgotten. And since I'm not local to VA, she sent me a code once the online store opened to use for my $25 credit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They have a beautiful selection of items, and I highly recommend checking them out if you need a gift for a girlfriend or just to treat yourself! I walked away with <a href="http://www.curatedoldtown.com/#!product-page/cfsp/33f6937c-1c68-c5e5-cf5c-466a3c3044af">this mug</a> and <a href="http://www.curatedoldtown.com/#!product-page/cfsp/041c59ff-2fe1-2f2a-7d23-614cdf538e4b">this journal</a>, and I'm so excited for them to arrive in the mail. Sometimes it's just nice to get a little something for yourself that makes you feel good! Head over to <a href="http://www.curatedoldtown.com/">Curated </a>before everything sells-- I have a feeling it will go quickly!</span></div>
Life Into Wordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663847696590563688noreply@blogger.com0