Turns out....no one can be a Mary Poppins

She Is Happy Now

2012-01-26T12:41:00.001-06:00

I love my job. I can't express that enough. The first 3 months of being here in Florida I have been working to learn the organization, learn what we do, why we do it, and why it is important.
To this point I've been learning all this information from our own perspective. I've not heard any negative feedback in regards to our work. I've not heard the opposing side.
Until yesterday.

Working in social media my job is to open the conversation with supporters....and others.

Yesterday I was SLAMMED with negative comments online. Most of them were from one person, but still.

The pressure hit me of "whoa. An I ready for this?!" I text my old boss in Dallas and told him that 'to date, this had probably been the toughest day for my work.' In my last job I responded to people about the Bible and Beth Moore teachings. I responded and interacted on a subject I know a lot about. Even if there were weird people, or people who hated Jesus and/or Beth Moore, it was not much of a problem. I was confident enough in my knowledge of the subjects at hand to know how to respond.

Brandon asked "Do you believe in the organization you are working for?" I do. I REALLY do believe in what we do.

But haven't had to defend it to this point. Believing in something and defending it are two different ballgames.

This could launch me into a whole other blog post about knowing enough to defend your stance in regards to the Gospel. Do you know what you believe? Enough to defend it to someone who would try to tear apart your belief? ....but I won't get into that. But something to think about.

Either way.
I was talking with another coworker asking her opinion and explaining the situation. She was so incredibly helpful in drafting a response to these particular people NOT in favor of our organization. Mary Laura was amazing. Seriously. She could tell it was weighing on me and was able to help out in the most perfect way.

This morning I got to work and was headed down the hallway when Mary Laura stopped me and said "Minda I have something for you."

I stepped into her office and this is what she said to me:

Yesterday I picked up Maggie (her daughter, 3 years old) from preschool. I asked her how her day was and what she did. She said "I danced today!" I asked what she danced to and Maggie said "I danced to Jesus Loves Me!" Of course you did, Maggie! Maggie then proceeded to ask me how MY day 'at school' was. I responded to her with 'my day was pretty good....but I have a coworker who had a sad day. It was a hard day.' Maggie asked "Why was it hard?' I said "She had to do something new today at work and it was hard....You know when you have to learn something new at school and it's hard?" Maggie understood.

A little while later Maggie came to me with a piece of paper.

I asked Maggie what this was and she said "this is your sad coworker....But she is happy now."

So Mary Laura gave me this picture this morning and of course I couldn't help the tears forming in my eyes and dropping down my face. To know that a 3-year-old precious little girl was thinking about me and didn't want me to be sad so decided to draw me a picture was by far one of the most precious things I've ever experienced. Seriously.

This picture will be hung in my office and will stay here as long as I have an office here. So incredibly touched today that the Lord would choose to show His love for me through the drawing of a 3 year old girl named Maggie.

Saturday Morning

2012-01-21T10:06:00.001-06:00

I have a play list on my iPod titled "Saturday Morning Cleaning."

When my sisters and I were growing up, Saturday morning was spent cleaning.

No questions asked. Bottom line. Purple suit and all.

Oh wait. You don't know about the purple suit. I'll explain further down.

We'd get to sleep in until mom and dad deemed enough, at which point they would turn on the stereo system and play praise and worship music and come wake us up. Mom or dad would have cooked us a breakfast of either pancakes, eggs, waffles, bacon, or breakfast tacos (a treat, considering M-F was normally cereal, oatmeal, etc) and on the table would be "The List"

Sometimes we'd get "The List" before breakfast and sometimes after. Because, really....who wants to ruin a perfectly good breakfast with "The List."

(I have to interject, even as I'm writing this...I'm just remembering how incredible my childhood was. Seriously. I had the best childhood a kid could ask for.)

Anywho.

We'd enjoy breakfast and then mom would let us review "The List."

The list would have three names written across the top....Lisa, Melinda, Caralyn.

Underneath our names was the list of chores we had to finish before we could play.

Breakfast would be cleaned up and at this point, the praise and worship music would be turned up loud and we'd all begin our chores.

When I say we did this 'every' Saturday- I mean it. EVERY Saturday.

Of course there were chores we hated.

Mom did a good job of splitting them up in regards to fairness. We always had different ones. No one always had to clean the toilet or tub. No one always had to dust or vacuum. We did always have to clean our own rooms but that was the only chore that was the same every week.

Except for Caralyn. Ooooooh Caralyn. This girl usually had 'clean room' under her list and that would be it. Because for Caralyn, it wasn't cleaning unless it meant taking EVERYTHING out of her closet and rearranging it and putting it all back together again. Or taking out EVERY barbie, dressing her up, and putting her back in the box. Or taking everything out from underneath her bed, organizing, and putting it back.

But seriously- does THIS look like a face that you would ever want to tell "clean the bathroom!"

Of course not. THESE are the kind of faces that you say "Clean the bathroom" to.

Anywho. I'm off subject.

Either way- we cleaned. And if we didn't clean correctly, mom (who would normally be wearing her purple workout suit) would come in, tell us how we didn't clean it well enough and how, when we repeat the work we'd just done, to do it correctly

Thus, making the purple suit NOT our favorite outfit of hers.

But all that aside, our home was clean. Our home smelled good, and our house was inviting to those in our neighborhood.

This morning as I'm drinking my coffee, listening to my Saturday Morning Cleaning play list, and scrubbing, I'm reminded how grateful I am for my mom.

She taught us not only to be women that presented ourselves well, but taught us to present our homes well. She taught me that you don't just clean the toilet bowl, but you get down on hands and knees and you clean BEHIND the toilet. You clean the outside of the toilet bowl. She taught me (much to my frustration as this was my least favorite chore) you don't just vacuum in the middle of the room where everyone walks. You take that attachment and suck the life out of any dust particles that could be in corners and baseboards. She taught me that a tub is not clean unless you use comet on that badboy and scrub til your hands are gonna fall off. She taught me that just putting stuff in your closet is not enough. Organization is key.Most importantly, she taught us how to make our homes inviting. How to create a warmth in our homes that people wanted to be a part of.

As I was down on all hands and knees cleaning the bathroom this morning, I was reminded how grateful I am for the practices she helped set in place that would help me as a grown woman enjoy a living space that is clean and inviting.

Thanks mom! I dedicate THIS Saturday morning to you! :-)

Instead

2012-01-16T10:17:00.000-06:00

A couple of years ago several friends of mine in Dallas started talking about ways we could become more intentional about giving money to organizations or people in need. Being a part of a HUGE community- our group of friends was always hanging out with each other. Going for coffee, dinner, drinks, movies...you name it. We did it.

Well, the guys started talking and came up with the idea of "INSTEAD."

Instead of going for a movie- how about donating that $9 you'd spend on a movie towards a charity.

Choose the option to rent a movie from redbox for a dollar- and give the remaining $9 to a charity.

Or instead of going out for coffee- how about brewing a pot at home, and donate the $4 you'd have spent on a drink towards the charity of your choice.

When budgeting, it's easy to find ways to budget for one charity- but with so many incredible causes out there- we want to do more. We want to find ways to give to EACH of them. ESPECIALLY when your friends are the ones starting their own charities. (aka...FUEL) <--Check them out!

And thus became the easy way give micro-donations on a daily basis.

You can check them out on the web or your phone. Find Instead in your app store and begin making a difference....one dollar at a time.

http://www.instead.com/

Shout out to my friends Josh Alltop, Micah Davis, Court Simas for the brains behind the work. I'm honored to call you friend and to have been a sounding board for ideas when Instead was in the think tank.

Valentine's Day

2012-01-11T09:10:00.000-06:00

This is probably a statement you will not hear from many single girls, but Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays.

Maybe it's the red, pink, and white colors all put together. Maybe it's the reminder that love IS out there, or maybe it's just another excuse to get together with some of my favorite girls. But either way- February 14th has been a favorite day of mine the past 4 years. ( I have to admit- this blog post is inspired because Starbucks just put out some of the most ADORABLE Valentine's mugs and tumblers.)

The past 4 years, on Valentine's Day, I've invited several single girls over to my place for dinner. They are given this message: If you can come, I need to know for certain because several things throughout the evening will be personalized to and for you. But. If you commit and then are asked out with a BOY- you have my blessing and my encouragement to GO ON THAT DATE!

I cook a super fancy meal, an extravagant dessert (um, last year included a 14 layer cake), and lots of other pink, red, and white details.

Gone are the days of THIS single girl sitting at home on a Valentine's Day drowning herself in a pint of ice cream while watching chick flicks that make a girl even MORE depressed.

It's more fun to celebrate the day with good friends, good food, and heck. If you're gonna eat the calories that night anyways, enjoy them with a good meal and good friends. :-)

Are you a single girl? What do you do for Valentine's day?

Discipline that feels good! ....yeah, right!

2012-01-08T15:15:00.000-06:00

I'm not always the quickest one when it comes to jokes. When I was younger I remember being at a dinner table with family friends and everyone was laughing and joking around the table. This particular evening, dinner had been cleaned up and the parents were drinking coffee. I was sitting at the table eating dessert while mom and her friend were deep in discussion. As I put down my fork I began to laugh out loud. And for those that know me- I'm sure it was the "BAH!" laugh that is very much "Minda."

My mom looked at me and said "What's so funny?!"

I responded with "I GET IT!!!"

Mom: What do you get?
Minda: The joke! I get it!
Mom: What joke?
Minda: The one dad told earlier at dinner

Yeah. I'm not always the quickest.

I had one of those moments yesterday while reading. And sad to say- this one took about 27 years to get. Ok, maybe not REALLY 27 years since I've not been reading the bible for all 27 years that I've been alive- but you get the point.

This particular verse is one that I've known, I've memorized, I've quoted, I've used countless times.

But yesterday, I got it.

Hebrews 12: 11 "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

This verse I've always known and felt as though it were self explanatory. It's easy. It makes sense. It's not a verse that needs to be expounded on much (or so I thought.) It's not a tricky verse that you need someone to explain to you! (And believe me- there are lots of verses in the bible I consider tricky)

I've thought about this verse in regards to parenting. When you do something wrong, you get disciplined. It hurts (there was no rod spared in our house) and you learn NOT to do the same thing again. Later on you gain wisdom and learn right from wrong.

Same way in relation to spiritual matters. We mess up- we face consequences. They are not fun- but needed so that we learn our lesson. Right?

So yeah, um, no. Well, not really.

{insert weird transition}

So today wraps up an 8-day liquids only fast for me. The bible talks often about people 'fasting and praying' and at my church in Texas, each year at the beginning of the year- we were challenged to start the year off with a fast. (which is also the only reason i'm POSTING about the fast. I'm used to living in a city in which 15,000 other people are joining me in the fast- so all of my friends knew anyways. Not like I'm giving away secret information) Giving the first of our year to the Lord. If you want more details on the 'why' in regards to a fast- let's chat. I'd love to fill you in.

But fasting is something that has become a part of my walk with the Lord that is GOOD. Basically I put myself in a place in which I say I command my stomach to come into alignment with my heart and soul. Again, even as I write this I can see how it sounds a bit cooky- but hang with me.

In the past when I have fasted, the Lord always does something HUGE in my heart. Revelation is JUMPING off the pages of my bible and seriously. I can't even stand it. Typically this happens around day 4 for me if I'm doing a week long fast.

This week was MUCH different. Day 4 came and went. Day 5 came and went. Day 6 came and went. I didn't feel as though there was any particular 'focus' for this particular fast. I didn't feel as though there was anything in particular that needed to be prayed for. I just felt as there was no point to the fast.

And then day 7 came. I was reminded of this verse:

Hebrews 12: 11 "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

This particular fast. It was not a matter of getting an answer to a specific prayer. It was not a matter of hearing the Lord for anything specific. This fast. It was a matter of learning a fast is a spiritual discipline. Not discipline as in PUNISHMENT....but discipline as in activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill (the skill being my ability to hear the Lord.)
Was it pleasant? Let me assure you, this particular one...not at all. Saying no to food for 8 straight days never is.

"Later on, however, it will produce a harvest of righteousness and peace" and let me tell you. THAT is what I want a harvest of. I don't want a harvest of frustration, laziness, and chaos. I want a harvest of righteousness and peace.

Now, I should also point out a verse in Matthew that says "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting...But when you fast- don't make it obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father who sees what is done in secret." (which is why I put the disclaimer at the beginning that I'm used to fasting with 15,000 people and being around people who already know i'm fasting). I'm not writing this to say "look what I've done" but rather: there are LOTS of areas in which we need to build spiritual disciplines. It could be in regards to fasting, praying, reading His Word, serving, encouraging, teaching....all sorts of things.' God knows it's not easy. He knows it's painful. But He knows what it produces in us. And He knows it's good for us.

I don't LOVE going to the gym. It's painful to run. But I do it. I know it produces something good in me.

I don't LOVE setting my alarm and getting up to go to work. But I do it. It produces a paycheck.

I don't LOVE taking out the trash. But I do it. It makes my apartment smell nicer and keeps rodents away.

We all have disciplines that we've built into our lives.

Let's build some into our spiritual walk with the Lord.

The update that no one wants to read

2012-01-06T19:16:00.000-06:00

Seriously. I know that blog title just makes you RACE to read this post (much sarcasm), but it's true.

It's the blog post I don't want to write. It's the blog post you don't want to read.

I have a rule for myself regarding social media posts. Twitter, Facebook, my blog, etc. It is as follows:

If every thing you type out is negative or is attention seeking- NO ONE wants to read it. You will most likely be unfollowed, unfriended, or your blog will never be read again. No matter what- do NOT be that person.

With that said- I need to clarify. This is no way means that you should be fake, but it does mean you need to evaluate your content and figure out for yourself why every thing you post is debbie downer. That is just the healthy thing to do. But there are times in which being real, honest, vulnerable, and raw are necessary.

Hence, "The update that no one wants to read."

Now, if I felt the need to preface this post with THAT much, please understand that it's because I do not want anyone to respond with sympathy comments. I am not writing this to be attention seeking. I'm writing this because for the past 4 years with this blog- I've posted what is real. I've posted what is raw. I've posted what I'm feeling.

And after 4 years, I don't plan to change that.

So, if you were to casually ask me how Tallahassee is, I'd respond with this (the TRUTH): "I LOVE my job. It's amazing."

And then I'd most likely move on to another subject and ask you how YOU were doing.

But let me go a bit further. Let me tell you what you MIGHT not have asked. If you were to say "No, really. How ARE YOU?!" This is what I'd respond with:

This coming weekend marks 3 months having left Dallas. This coming weekend marks 3 months of lonely. This coming weekend marks 3 months of growing realization that the life I led in Dallas is not normal.

I spent Christmas in South Carolina with my extended family and enjoyed my time there SO much. What did I enjoy? I enjoyed having a cup of coffee every morning with my aunt. I enjoyed watching movies with my uncle and cousins. I enjoyed shopping with my aunt. I enjoyed playing card games with my grandma. I enjoyed being in the kitchen cooking with family.

Mostly. I enjoyed being with people.

Every morning I wake up and make enough coffee for one person.
I go to the gym by myself.
I come home and cook for myself.
I clean by myself.
I watch TV by myself.
I go to the grocery store by myself.
I watch episodes of Friends by myself. (cough cough....yes, exactly what I'm doing tonight)

Again, please do not extend sympathy with the reading of this post. That is not what I want. I just want to be honest.

There is something to be said about doing life with people. About doing life with friends. About doing life with those you love. About doing life with those who know you. Money is not what makes your life rich. THINGS are not what make your life rich. People. People make your life rich.

If you have friends nearby that are close with you and do life with you, don't take them for granted.

Life in Tallahassee is hard. Again, I LOVE my job. I have amazing co-workers. I ENJOY going to work. It's been a MAJOR learning curve and I feel like I'm beginning to catch on.

But outside of work, Tallahassee is hard.

So there is your update.

The end. :-)

Not much of an update, but an update nonetheless.

2012-01-04T08:29:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all the other greetings that I've failed to give you here on the blog. I've had 4 people mention in the last week that I've not updated my blog in a while, so here is the update.

My lack updating has not been because I've not had time (I've had PLENTY), it's not because I've not wanted to.

I just haven't had anything to write about.

Even in my own personal journal- the pages have been left empty.

Coming off a season in which SOOOOOOOO much was happening in my life- to THIS season- I feel like nothing is really wroth blogging about.

My life is quiet these days. I go to work. I go to the gym. I go home. I read. I sleep. I clean.

There were actually a couple days this past weekend that I didn't even utter a SINGLE word all day long!

Crazy, right?

I'm enjoying this season of 'quiet' for now.

The Biggest Loser

2011-12-11T10:27:00.000-06:00

I'm way behind....I realize this now.

Season 12 is the first season for me to watch The Biggest Loser.

I've been so impressed with the show that in the meantime I've been going back and watching all of Season 11 as well. I'm sure I'll work my way back and watch more seasons.

But there has been a switch to take place in my mind after watching this show.

I've never been happy with my weight. As far back as I can remember. Maybe even back to 7th or 8th grade. I don't think I've ever looked in a mirror and just been thrilled with what I've seen (except for maybe after my 3 week fast...and that's just not right.)

What I see in the mirror is SO different than what is actually truth.

In 2006 I became serious about working out. In college I worked out maybe 1 or 2 times a week- but nothing serious. In 2006 I became a gym rat. Every morning....in the evening....ALL THE TIME. 6 days a week.

Yet I never got to a place where I felt I looked good.

Both of my sisters are skinnier than me- and truth be told- they are the 2 measuring models I hold myself too. So that instantly creates a bit of drama every time I'm around my family and sisters. Because while I might not just outright tell them, there has always been an underlying tension when I'm around my sisters...whom I love DEARLY and would do anything for them.

But when I see my sisters- I see the measuring stick. And I never measure up.

When a sister calls and says "I've lost 15 lbs!!" or any type of thing- I instantly think "WHAT?!?!?! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!!?!? I do everything I can and that is NEVER a phone call I've been able to make. And then the 'measuring stick' gets more and more hard to measure up to.

I started watching the Biggest Loser Season 12 from episode 1 when girls were weighing in at 250, 270, 300, 315 pounds.

And to be very honest with you- looking at them on the scale....THAT is how I view myself when I look in the mirror. I see myself as a 250, 270, 300, 315 pound person. Now. I KNOW that's not truth- but that's what I see when I look in the mirror. It's not even CLOSE to the truth.

So to go through the progression of watching this season- I keep thinking to myself "DANG!!!! These girls look SO good!" as they are shedding pounds. And then I would think "wait. I weigh less than them. So if they look good at ____ weight....Why don't I think I look good at ____ weight which is still less than them?"

Yeah. It's messed up.

I go to the gym still. I run. I am in the gym 4 times a week- sometimes more. Sometimes less. I eat healthy. I have a juicer. I drink water. I make good food decisions.

I feel like after having watched Biggest Loser 11 and 12 some scales are being removed from my vision. When I look in the mirror- I'm starting to see myself for the size I really am. My mirrors in my apartment are NOT the crazy house mirrors. They are not adding 150 lbs, which I like to think they do.

I don't think I'm at a place where everything is all better, my self esteem is at an all time high- or I am completely at peace with my self and my body, but. I have to say. My vision is shifting.

Thank you, Biggest Loser.

My Pitiful Story

2011-12-10T09:26:00.000-06:00

Last week I made plans with a couple of co-workers for them to come over to my apartment for dinner. You people know me...I'm always hosting and cooking. And just because I live in a new state and city doesn't mean I still can't do that here.

sidenote***
(I'm well aware that a few of my coworkers might be reading this blog...and I'm well aware that this is going to make me sound pitiful...But i'm willing to risk that for the sake of my OTHER readers who care to know how i'm doing in Tally)

So last week when I made the plans I was stoked. My place was decorated for Christmas and what good are Christmas trees, beautiful decorations, and Christmas music without people to share it with?!?! I had a spot for 3 people at my table so I invited 3 people. (one is not a coworker- but family of one of the coworkers)

The plan was for them to come over on Thursday night.

Well. Wednesday afternoon/evening I began to feel the effects of food poisoning. I got home from the gym and felt miserable. Thursday morning I woke up feeling the same way....BUT. As I was about to email my boss to tell her I'd be out sick, I realized that if I were to be home 'sick' then my coworkers would NOT come over to my place for dinner!!! And I knew I wasn't contagious sick and 'dont' be around me' sick....but just FOOD freaking POISONING sick....

So. I did what any crazy insane person would do. I went to work.
I don't know if many of you have ever had food poisoning but it is NOT fun. And to be at WORK with food poisoning? Yeah, that's awful.

When I talked to my sister, Lisa, and explained WHY I was at work, she responded "Minda! That's just pitiful."

Yes, yes I know.

But it's not often I have people coming over to my apartment here in Tally and I didn't want to miss out.

SO. Got home from work on Thursday, made dinner, got the apartment all ready and had my coworkers over. I'd made appetizers, homemade soup, mini apple pies for dessert and had a great time.

But the moment that door shut on their way out, let me tell you. It was not pretty, folks. :-) (<-- i only put a smiley face there to make that sentence not seem so horrible.)

I went to bed and woke up Friday morning STILLLLLL feeling awful. I called in sick and stayed home. Like I SHOULD have done on Thursday.

So. I'm mostly back to normal today.

I think :-)

And to those who will see me this weekend or any time in the near future....I wasn't SICK so don't feel like you have to avoid me :-)

Opening a Conversation

2011-12-02T11:12:00.000-06:00

I'd like to open a conversation with you.

I've read 2 articles recently that have got me thinking.

And a blog is one way to open a conversation that invites response, yes?

So here goes.

If you leave a comment- make sure to click the button that says "email follow up responses" so you can stay part of the convo. (I know, blogspot needs to get better about this, but for now- just click the box.)

Here is article number 1: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/digital-issue/53?page=66

Here is article number 2: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/27/why-young-christians-arent-waiting-anymore/

There is a new show coming up on TLC called something like "The Virgin Diaries" or something. I have to say. I've watched the preview clips and it is mortifying and embarrassing. If I were 15 and watching- I'd say "Find me the closest guy and let's get it on!" in attempts to not let that be my story. They have made the clips downright horrifying.

Yeah, I'm being honest here.

The statistics are mind-blowing in my opinion.

Are they crazy to you?

Are people still waiting? Are YOU still waiting? If you are married- was this important to you?

Thoughts?

Up on the rooftop click click click?

2011-11-29T09:09:00.000-06:00

While at home this past week for Thanksgiving, Dad and I decided to put up all the outside Christmas lights together. He pulled everything out of the shed, we laid it all out, and began the process.

Dad set the ladder against the roof and went up with the first strand of lights. Once up there, he asked me to go grab the leaf blower, an extension cord, and to climb on up to clear off the roof. I got all the necessary things and plugged in the leaf blower. As I climbed up the ladder, I might mention that my dad needs a new ladder. The ladder I crawled up is the most warped, bent, and scary ladder EVER.

I climbed up and turned on the blower. Being careful with the cord I started in one corner. As I moved across the roof I saw something begin to happen that I could not stop. I started screaming and yelling in hopes that what I was witnessing would somehow not be true.

But no. The screaming did not make it stop. The cord of my leaf blower had snagged around the ladder and when I moved- the ladder did too. And I watched it fall to the ground.

I turned off the leaf blower and just sat on the roof. Dad came around the corner and said "what's wrong?"

I said "did you not hear me screaming?!?!"

"No....what happened?"

Knowing that this information will not make my dad happy I slowly tell him to look at the ladder. As he looks he realizes it's not there. I explained what happened.

His face was incredulous. He said "You're kidding."

No, dad, I was not kidding. He keeps staring at me as though this is a joke. And rightfully so. No one wants to think that they might be stuck on a roof.

The expression on his face made me start to laugh. And I mean, LAUGH. And when I say "LAUGH" i mean- I almost wet my pants I was laughing so hard.

Dad asks "do you have your phone with you?"

Nope.

We both realize that we are stuck. We don't have neighbors. We don't have phones. And we don't have a ladder.

As I'm laughing dad is still standing with this look on his face that has me rolling.

Finally I say "we COULD try going through the window." We do have 2 windows on our roof that lead to my old room and Caralyn's old room.

Dad is able to get the screen off, open the window- and tells me "well you've gotta crawl through there cause I'm not!!!"

I crawl through, drop to the floor, and come around and set the ladder back up.

Point of the story- we were both fine- we weren't stuck for long- but after talking with dad later about it- he says the things going through HIS mind were ways he could lasso the cord from the leaf blower around the tree and drop down, using the cord to lasso the ladder back up....you know. He was trying to go all MacGyver on me. I'm so glad I was up there to just offer the most practical option of opening a window. :-)

No place like....

2011-11-20T21:58:00.000-06:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed living in Florida. REALLY. The town is quaint, my job is fabulous, and my apartment finally feels settled. The beach is close, the weather has been perfect, and overall, living in Florida has been great.

But can I please say I’m so glad to be at home in Paris, TX for this Thanksgiving break. After I’d already accepted the job and had started work, I found out that we were given the entire week of Thanksgiving off!!! Once I learned that- I knew for sure I’d be coming home. Mom and dad made sure of that!!

I know, I’ve only been away from Texas for 35 days and it’s probably too soon for a trip home, but after 35 days like my first 35 days in Tallahassee were, home was a great option.

But let’s back up a little bit.

63 days ago I was offered a job in Tallahassee.

59 days ago I accepted the job and turned in my two weeks notice.

51 days ago mom and I drove out for the first time.

41 days ago I started my new job (In San Fran, no less!)

And 35 days ago I moved to Tallahassee.

Well, let’s add one more in for good measure: 15 days ago- the movers arrived with all my stuff.

That has been a CUH-RAZY past 63 days. I think after all THAT craziness, a trip home was in order.

On my way to the airport yesterday I was thinking about the fact that in a few short hours I’d be getting hugs. Yes, hugs. I’m a hug person. I may or may not judge you on your ability to give a good hug! ;-) But that’s one thing that’s been lacking in Tallahassee. So while driving and thinking about the hugs I’d soon be giving/receiving- I couldn’t help but start to cry. I know that sounds overemotional but really. Living by myself is ok. But you just don’t realize how much you need physical touch until you move away and there is not many people around that you can just give a hug to without them thinking you’re a crazy.

I flew in last night to Dallas where dad picked me up and we made the drive back to Paris.

Excited to spend this Thanksgiving week with the parents and grateful I have the time off. I know good things are in store in this next season.

Oh yeah. And give someone a hug today. Even if THEY don’t need it…you probably do! ;-)

To the crooked...wait, what?!

2011-11-14T08:58:00.000-06:00

I’ve been thinking about this blog post for a while, but just hadn’t felt it was completely formulated in my brain until this past weekend.

The night of my going away party, I had SO many friends share things with me that left me speechless, encouraged, honored, etc. I mean, really. I was blessed.

After the group prayed for me, my friend Benjamin came and shared a verse with me, shedding light on this particular verse that I’d never noticed before.

He read the verse to me, “To the faithful, you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked, you show yourself shrewd.”

During the time in which people were standing up and sharing words about me, the word ‘faithful’ came up almost every time. So I assumed Benjamin was going to highlight that portion of the verse. HA! Was I wrong. He then says “the part that stuck out to me was “but to the crooked, you show yourself shrewd.” Oooh dear Benjamin. You sure got me on that one! Haha :-) I was like “um, ok, explain?”

But what Benjamin was about to explain was nothing short of a sweet revelation from the Lord that I needed to hear.

He went on to eloquently explain that another term that could be used in place of the word ‘shrewd’ would be to ‘one up’ someone. Someone who is shrewd will be sharp and clever. So where the verse says ‘to the crooked, you show yourself shrewd’ could be read as “you wanna be crooked? He will “one-up” you. You will not get it past Him. He can’t be beat.”

Benjamin said (and I paraphrase) “with that in mind….Minda, if you think YOU are faithful (and you are!), know that He can…and WILL- ‘one-up’ you. He is more faithful. He will prove himself even more faithful that YOU could ever be.”

I LOVE that. I really do. LOVE that.

Such a sweet reminder (and reality check!) that my Jesus is not only Faithful, but He will far surpass the faithfulness of anyone. If I think I’M faithful- it’s GOOD news to know that He will always one-up me.

In addition, Benjamin, if I messed up relaying this message the way you meant for it to be relayed- please correct me... :-) But this is what I gleaned from your insight! :-)

STAMP!

2011-11-13T14:02:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's way past time for a new STAMP! edition. So here you go!

I have a new favorite fall/winter scent from Bath and Body Works. For the past 2 years, I've LOVED making my home smell like Bath and Body Works "Leaves" scent. Seriously. SOOOO good. But. This year. I've found a new favorite. My friends Ashley, Austen, and Shelby got a candle for me for my going away part and I've not only been burning this candle, but I've gone to get another one, purchased the wall flowers in this scent, and also the car scent. I present to you "Marshmallow Fireside."

Item number two that gets my STAMP! of approval is a brand of shoes. I own 5 pairs of heels that are this particular brand. They are the most comfortable heels I own and can wear them all day without dying! :-) They not only are comfortable but I KNOW this brand. I know that I can always get the exact same size and not worry about if they will fit or not. LOVE them! I present to you: Madden Girl shoes. :-) They will always be found in a purple box. Enjoy!

Weekend at Party Pier

2011-11-11T21:12:00.000-06:00

This weekend will mark 4 weeks of Florida living and I'd yet to see a beach. Figured I'd check that off my list this weekend as I had Friday off. Drove out to Saint George Island which is about 1 hour and 30 minutes away from Tallahassee. This morning I woke up, made pumpkin pancakes and coffee- then packed my bags. As I was driving- I had a serious "OH MY GOODNESS, Is this REALLLY my life?" moment. :-) The drive was spectacular. Stunning really. And then. I saw the water. I about had a heart attack. This was real. I DO officially live in Florida if I can drive an hour to go hang out at a beach for the day.

I do apologize for the quality of these pictures. But yeah. I got to the turn off which would take me on a bridge about 7 miles long which connected us to the island. Um. Let's read that sentence again. Yeah. I went to an island today! :-) It was pretty chilly this morning (low 40's) but knew it was to warm up. I went in my suit, shorts, and a t-shirt- and took along a fleece jacket. I kept the jacket on most of the morning but took it off later this afternoon when it warmed up a bit more. I spent about 6 hours today- by myself- on a beach. The beach was practically mine. NO ONE was on the beach. I read for a bit. I walked quite a ways. I just sat, staring at the water.

Oh yeah. And here's the jellyfish I saw. I wanted to touch it so bad but didn't know what side was 'safe' to touch. Didn't want to have a "Joey, Monica, Chandler" situation if you know what i mean. :-)

And this. This is where I was when the sun set over the water. I met up with Jaryn & Rynelle, along with their family for the remainder of the evening where we had dinner and watch episodes of Friends :-)

A good day, indeed.

I think I like Florida :-)

Settling In

2011-11-09T13:32:00.000-06:00

Well I guess it's time for an update.

My stuff arrived Friday morning and my boss was gracious enough to give me the day off so I could start unpacking/settling in.

Where as in the past I tend to drag out the unpacking phase for as long as possible- this time I was ready to have it over and done with! I worked all day from 8am-10pm unpacking and moving furniture around.

Around 5:30ish- several guys from the church I've been visiting stopped by to help get a huge load of boxes/trash out to the dumpster for me. They live right around the corner from my place and one of them has a truck so I didn't feel TOO awful by asking! :-) Grateful for their help!!!

At around 7pm, Carl, Jennifer, and Ashley stopped by to hook up my washer/dryer. Their visit was MUCH appreciated as not only did they show up with drinks in hand, they helped me figure out the best way to arrange the furniture in the living room! After we moved furniture around pretty much every way imaginable- we settled on what we thought would be best. Carl was SO amazing to not only hook up the washer and dryer but to take care of other things around the apartment such as securing my locks on the doors, adjusting the laundry room doors, mounting the dustbuster on the wall in the laundry area, etc.

Saturday was spent unpacking more boxes as well and then I got out of my apartment for about 45 minutes to attend the Greek Food Festival that was taking place. Later that evening was the LSU/Bama football game. The church I've been visiting (Emerge Church) is being launched by a team of people from Louisiana who are all HUGE LSU fans. I went over to the pastors house to watch the game with a slew of people wearing purple! :-)

This coming weekend I have a long weekend (Friday I have off for Veteran's Day) and I'm planning to head to a Florida beach to celebrate my first month of Florida living. Colder temps are expected for the weekend so I'm planning to take a blanket, a hoodie, and lots of coffee with me as I sit on the beach. Desperately wishing I could call up a few people from Dallas (or Arizona for that matter) and say "come with me!"

But. Such is life.

Here's a pic of my mantle all dressed and ready for Fall!

The Moving Fiasco

2011-11-03T10:35:00.001-05:00

The movers are scheduled to be at my apartment today with all of my belongings. I plan to have my camera ready to take pictures of anything that looks damaged or broken.
For those who’ve followed me on Facebook/twitter, you know I’ve been waiting. They picked up my stuff on the 10th of October telling me it would be 7-10 business days before arrival. I was aware of that and totally ok! After they’d had my stuff in their possession 7 days, I thought I’d just give them a quick call to say “Hey, just checking in…Making sure everything is ok…and getting an update on where everything might be.

In no way was I pushy, aggressive, or demanding. Just wanted to check in.

I called the main number where I was prompted with either 4 options.

1. Customer Service

2. Sales

3. Billing

4. Dispatch

I selected option 1….I was given an answering machine. I didn’t leave a message at this point- tried the dispatch option next. Upon selecting #4 I was told “this number is not a working number.”

So at this point, I called the guy I’d originally talked to, Robert. He was in sales.

The response I got was “Ma’am, I don’ know where your stuff is. I’m in the sales department. You need to call dispatch.” I explained to him that particular option was not working on their phone system. He said “Well I cant do anything about that. You have to talk to dispatch.”

Ummm. Confusion.

So I just called the customer service line again and left a message.

24 hours passed and I’d not heard from them. Again. I was not worried about my stuff at this point. I knew it would take a bit of time. I just was trying to get ahold of someone.

So I called back the following day and spoke to Robert again and said (very respectfully) “Can you give me another number? I know you don’t have any information for me- and I’m ok with that, but could you give me another number to reach someone?” Exasperated, he replied “I Don’ know what to tell you! Call dispatch!”

I hung up and called my parents. This was unacceptable.

Mom and dad both tried to get information. My mom left a message on the Customer Service line and got a phone call at 9pm that night.

Robert proceeded to tell my mom “You Americans just want everything so fast and can’ wait for anything!”

Well, sir. If you don’t like serving Americans, you should probably not be working in America. In addition, I PAID you for the services.

Anywho. My mom explained that she was not expecting information from him! We don’t want to talk to him- we want to talk to dispatch, like he explained to us! But we needed to know how to get ahold of dispatch!

Robert continued to talk on and on…and ON to my mom.

Mom could tell Robert was getting a bit irritated with her and so she calmly suggested that she was going to get off the phone so as not to cause any more friction. At which point she concluded the call and hung up.

Robert called back IMMEDIATELY and DEMANDED that my mother apologize to him for hanging up on him.

People. This guy went crazy.

He also said to my mom “ I can make things bad for your daughter.”

Alarm bells and ringing LOUD AND CLEAR at this point.

We stop calling. We don’t want to do anything that would frustrate them.

In the meantime, I’m sleeping on an air mattress. I’m eating turkey sandwiches for lunch and dinner. I’m eating cereal for breakfast. I’m sitting on the floor drinking coffee in the morning. Just waiting for my stuff.

Saturday the 29th was the day they officially broke their own contract.

On Tuesday I finally talked to Tommy who said he’s a co-owner of the company. He said “your stuff left Texas on Sunday.”

If he’d informed me it was still in Texas- I’d started making plans to fly back to Texas and just drive my stuff out in a U-Haul.

Then later that day I get a phone call from the driver, Horacio, who told me he had my stuff in his possession and would be driving out soon. I said “Where are you at?” He said he was still in Dallas. I told Horacio that was a problem considering Tommy had told me my stuff left Texas on Sunday. I also informed him that he better do whatever he could do to get my stuff to me fast considering that everything on that truck is now considered ‘stolen goods’ considering they’d broken contract.

Upon hearing this, Horacio had one comment “Oh shit.”
Yes, sir, that is right.

So. Anyways. Horacio said to expect my stuff either Wednesday or Thursday. Today is Thursday and he said he will be at my place close to 4pm.
We’ll see.
BUT. So far. That is the moving fiasco.

Also on a sidenote- here are my thoughts regarding it all:

I am at the point where i know the devil is SO angry he couldn't sabotage God's plans to get me to Florida- so now- since he couldn't take that victory- he's trying to take the celebration of that victory away from me by causing this drama. But. I still, every morning, recount all that He has done to get me to where I am. There's no way in heck i'm allowing satan to take the celebration away from me. He may be trying- but still, I will celebrate and be glad. My Jesus is faithful.

Now let's just pray all the stuff arrives with little or no damage. :-)

The tweets I never posted

2011-10-29T10:32:00.000-05:00

This week I've gone to write several tweets and then stop myself. Don't want to lose followers on twitter just because I'm a debbie downer.

I just figured I'd keep a running tab of some of them here.

For my own personal blog purposes. You have the freedom to skip this post if you'd like :-)

(timeline on these will seem weird since some of them were from earlier in the week.)

-Watching the Rangers in the World Series is less than exciting while watching via ESPN Gamecast on my laptop.

-Going to the gym. Cause I'd rather not sit in an empty apartment.

-14th night in a row to sleep on an air mattress. SO over this.

-Morning coffee would be so much better if I didn't have to drink it standing up. #WantMyCouches

-Day 16 of sleeping on an air mattress. #EnoughSaid

-All my errands are done for the day in 1.5 hours. Guess I'll go back home to my air mattress.

-Did I mention all my $$ is tied up too? Yeah, had to switch banks & have yet to receive my new debit cards. Waiting is the name of the game.

-Day 18 of sleeping on an air mattress.

A few picture updates:

2011-10-28T08:29:00.000-05:00

So the weather my first week in Tally was cuh-razy. Here's a comparison to Dallas!

My first weekend in Tally, Carl and Jennifer took me to an FSU game! Here's me with my $10 shirt I sported:

And a picture inside the stadium!

The 2nd week in the office we packed up and moved due to growing out of the space. Here's the view from my new office from yesterday morning:

In addition, a view from the parking garage this morning!!! SPECTACULAR!

Also- due to just all the craziness of my move, the fact that the movers have not arrived...the fact I've been sleepin on an air mattress for 18 days....all of these things have started to take a toll on my body. Here's what my computer area looked like this week:

If you'd not heard yet- my movers have not yet arrived.

Still waiting.

Not feeling settled at ALL in Tally.

Ready for my belongings to arrive here.

Like, yesterday.

But all in all- my coworkers are awesome and have been so kind.

I'm becoming more and more familiar with the city. (Shouldn't take TOO long considering it's SOOOO Much smaller compared to Dallas.)

That's all for now :-)

Easy links to read the whole story.

2011-10-22T20:43:00.000-05:00

For those who have any desire to read the entire story.....Here are the links in order from the beginning.

Arriving in Tally

2011-10-22T09:57:00.000-05:00

One week ago today, I got up at 4:30 in the morning finished loading my car, and said goodbye to Texas.

The older I get, the faster time seems to go....but this week. Has been a REALLY long week. It feels like I made the drive a month ago!

Helen, one of my dearest friends and old roommate, made the trek with me on Saturday, October 15. My car was loaded down with all my hanging clothes, my keyboard, my kitchenAid mixer, AND my coffee pot. :-) Since I'd been in San Francisco all week, Helen had a travel bag packed full of snacks and drinks for the ride. We were on the road at 5:30 and began the long drive. We were 2 hours into the drive before we even stopped for coffee. Crazy, right?!?! Yes. But so fun. :-) We drove through Shreveport over to Jackson, Mississippi- then headed south from there to Mobile, Alabama. From Mobile, we jumped on I10 and headed East.

Oh. Also before leaving Texas, I'd meant to get my oil changed as it was past time and knew it would be wise to do so....BUT. With the craziness of everything else- I just didn't have time- so while in Mississippi- we stopped to have the oil changed. The guys SERIOUSLY took MAYBE 10 minutes to change the oil. It was really bizarre. When I got to Tally- I took it to another walmart to explain the situation (light was still on) and asked them to check if it REALLY had been changed or just more oil added. They checked and said "Dang. Those rednecks were FAST cause it's been changed."*

Anywho- in the last several hours of the trip-just became silly. I'd been playing a video for Helen from the show "The Sing-Off" and she really liked the beatboxers.....so she attempted to beat box. And I recorded. Which she didn't know. :-) BUT She approved for me to put on Facebook once she found out- so I'll add it here in case you missed it. Honestly- I was laughing so hard- so excuse my cackling in the background.

We stayed the first night with Carl and Jennifer and their family who live in Tallahassee and are related to my Aunt Mary. I've met them maybe 3 times in my life (they are on my Aunt's side of the family...not the Corso side) and Jennifer was SO helpful when I was looking for an apartment. She works in law enforcement so was able to say don't live south of here....west of here....etc. Anywho- we stayed with them the first night. On Sunday, Helen and I got up, showered, then headed out for the day. We found breakfast to eat outside, had coffee, and started exploring Tallahassee together. We drove by my apartment (to which I'd be getting the keys later that night) and then drove down by my new office.

We explored new grocery stores, parks, and just drove around a LOT that day. At 5pm- we went over to check out a church plant that will be launching soon. When I'd gone out with mom 2 weeks before- I met up with the pastor and his wife after having found them on Twitter. :-) They've been having info meetings and such- so I thought I'd take Helen along for moral support! Somehow it was brought up that I made homemade pasta....So not sure how THAT comes into conversation on my 1st day in town- but oh well. They know now!! :-) Closer to 7 we were going to stop and get dinner. We'd finally settled on a place to get food when the apartment called and said I could get my keys. (The offices were not open- but the girl working there that knew I was already in town said that when SHE got back in town that night she would call me, open up the offices, and let me get my keys....SO nice!!!)

Helen and I grabbed dinner to go- then headed over to get the keys and start unloading my VERY full car. Once unloaded, we made a pallet on the floor and crashed for the night. On Monday morning we got up, made coffee (remember I packed that coffee pot!) and headed out to get groceries. We spent the day checking out a few more places- then.....It was time.

I'd not allowed myself to even THINK about what was going to happen come 3:30pm on Monday. Up until this point- I'd just been having a BLAST hanging out with my friend. It had felt like a vacation and/or spontaneous trip. We got in the car as I was going to take Helen to the airport. I turn on the car and start to drive out of the parking lot when Helen asked me a question. I don't even know what the question was. All I know is that I could not talk.

Up until this point- I'd been wondering when it would hit me. The reality of what I was doing.

I had to wonder no more. It had come.

I cried the entire way to the airport. We didn't talk. Not cause I didn't WANT to. Because I couldn't get words to come out. We pull up to Tallahassee Regional Airport (an incredibly SMALL airport) and I park the car. I get out, walk around, and hug my friend. My friend who has walked with me and encouraged and challenged me through some crucial years. A friend that encourages me to love Jesus more. A friend that has played a huge role in my life and my ability to love people the way I do. Helen is Jesus with skin. Whenever I am around Helen- I KNOW that Jesus loves me. There is no doubt. So as I hugged her, I choked back more tears, said 'see ya later' then got in my car and drove off.

I wish I could tell you that I took a couple of deep breaths, put on my big girl panties, and set off with my head held high towards the adventure that awaits. But that's NOT what happened. I probably shouldn't have been driving with as hard as I was crying. Weeks worth of emotion, stress, anticipation....all hit. This was real.

On my way back to my apartment, Carl and Jennifer text me saying 'soup and salad for dinner...You're welcome to come!"

I text back "I'm an emotional mess. If you're ok with that- then I'll be there." Of course they were ok with it.

I got to my apartment, showered, cried, and well. Ok, let's be honest. I just cried all night.

I had several friends text me to see if I was ok or wanted to talk...I said "I'd love to talk but I can't even get words out because I'm crying so hard. Let's talk tomorrow!" :-)

Caralyn at one point messaged me and said "You need to answer your phone."

So I called her. I don't think she was prepared to hear me.

That night I curled up on the floor and slept knowing that in the morning I'd get to go to work with SUPER puffy eyes.

I didn't feel scared....or alone. I just felt sad. And far away.

Dallas has been my home for almost 10 years. I've made friendships that I know will be around forever. I know the feelings were normal. It's normal to feel the emotions that I did.

I'll end the post here, but I have to say- this week- the Lord has been SO kind to me. Every single night this week I had things going on. Dinners out, watching the Rangers with people....

While I was afraid that my first couple weeks would be me sitting at home alone wishing for people to hang out with- The exact opposite happened. I was out every single night...and EXCITED to get to be at home for an evening.

Only my Jesus could orchestrate such a week for me.

I know He is all over this move. I don't doubt that.

San Francisco

2011-10-18T20:28:00.000-05:00

Well well well. Let me first say, I did NOT leave my heart in San Francisco. :-) After the Starbucks incident, I got on the plane and was off! As life would have it, I sat next to a couple that were on their honeymoon. And honeymooning, they were. When I arrived in SF, I went to hail my first taxi cab when I heard that prices were better if I did a shared cab ride. Um, yes. Dave Ramsey would approve- even if I wasn't the one paying for the cab! Being frugal with money other than my own. BAM.

So once I arrived- it was after dark and I missed seeing any part of the city. Arrived at the hotel and was left standing with my mouth gaping open. It was GORGEOUS!!! I got to my room (a king sized room, I might add) and kinda did a happy dance. It was 7:30pm, I was exhausted, and I didn't have to be anywhere til 9am the following day.

I slept about 10 hours, got ready, stepped outside the hotel and went directly to my right where on the corner sat the lovely green sign advertising my happy drink. Yes, Starbucks was RIGHT there. I had a coffee, oatmeal, and began my day.

Got to meet the coworkers, and was thrown right into work. The next 96 hours were some of the craziest, sleep-deprived, but awesome hours. On Tuesday night Jeb took the team to dinner at a place called Restaurant LuLu and it was DIVINE. Delicious food. Seriously.

On Wednesday afternoon/early evening, I DID get out of the hotel for about 30 minutes and in that short time, I got to see the bay, a ferry, See's Candy shop, and a naked man.

Yes. Yes I did. There were a group of protesters out and about and yeah. A man...no towel, no sign to cover anything....completely nude. Walking around. I kept asking my co-worker, Clare, 'HOW CAN HE DO THAT!??!?!? Why is that LEGAL!?!?!?"

She was laughing at my complete shock...and yeah, I kinda was overwhelmed. I mean. Really. There were even police men standing around not doing anything about it.

Well. The next day at the conference- I'm talking with several news anchors and they'd asked me how I liked SF so far. I said "well, mostly I've been in the hotel the entire time, but I DID get out..." And i proceeded to share with them what I saw. They began laughing and the lady said "did you get a picture?!?!?

Um. Did I get a picture?!?! NO WAY! She said "you need to get a picture so you can go back home with stories." I proceeded to tell her that I have a blog that will for SURE be updated with stories but a picture would NOT be needed :-) Anywho- we talked for about 30 minutes while we were waiting for the Governor to be available for an interview. After about 30 minutes, I stepped out of the room for a moment, came back in and they said "forget the interview- we just want to leave the hotel and take you around SF!!!!" :-)

Either way- the lady got her story, had to rush back (in her CRAZY amazing high heels she was wearing) and we said farewell. Well. 15 minutes later, Anna came back. In her heels. With her phone out and a HUGE grin. She said "I was several blocks away when I saw a naked man!!! I told him I needed to take his picture for a girl I just met so she could post it on her blog!!!"

I'm so not kidding. Anna then emailed me this picture she'd taken. She was thrilled.

SOOOOOO. That's my SF naked man story.

The summit wrapped up (Melinda Gates spoke as well as Rupert Murdoch) and was a huge success. I wasn't kidding when I said sleep deprived. I was going to bed at 1 and 2am and waking up at 4:45am.

I left Friday at 4:30pm- arrived in Dallas at 10:50pm....and that sums up the conference week.

Up next....the move.

The Last Weekend

2011-10-14T14:56:00.000-05:00

So after the going away party- now that I knew movers would be coming to take my stuff to Florida, I knew how to pack. And let the chaos begin.

Saturday morning I woke up for an early breakfast with Laura for one last goodbye. Such a sweet time, but let's be honest. The ugly cry came. I sure do love that woman.

After breakfast, my friend Lauren came over to the apartment to help make some sense of all my stuff. What an INCREDIBLE blessing she was. Lauren...I know I said something multiple times, but SERIOUSLY. You helped out SO much!

Saturday evening I went to my last service at Gateway, then in typical Gateway Saturday night church fashion, we got a group of friends together for dinner after.

After dinner, Ashley Movold asked me if we could go grab ice cream....um. DUH!!Yes please :-) And let me tell you. The next 2 hours were some of the sweetest hours. We sat underneath an awning outside of Starbucks with our chocolate ice cream and chatted for a while. Sweet Ashley, that HONESTLY was one of my favorite moments in Dallas. What a perfect night.

Sunday morning I woke up and drove out to Aledo to meet up with THIS sweet family. Amy, you and your family deserve your own seperate blog post. I will do that in the near future, but man, oh man. You and your family have been such a breath of fresh air. You've been my escape when I needed to think. Your kids have loved me. YOU have loved me. From birthday parties, to baby dedications....There's not a moment in their lives that I would want to miss. Amy, your friendship has meant more to me than I could sum up in this blurb. Know that i love you.

After meeting up with Amy, I drove to Dallas to say bye to my Fantasy football guys who were watching the Tampa Bay/49'ers game. I bawled the entire drive there. I kept it together while saying bye- then cried on my way home. I love that crew.

Thennnn. Back home for more packing.

I packed all evening- then around 9:30pm my friend Rachel came over with coffee to keep me going! I had less than 12 hours before movers were going to be there to take all my stuff!!! Went to bed around 1:30- then woke up at 6am to finish up. The movers were there at 8:45 on Monday morning- had my stuff wrapped and loaded up by 11, (in addition- cost $500 more than they said......dang it.) and then I raced off to the airport!!!

Got to the airport and basically sat in exhaustion waiting for my flight to San Francisco.

While waitin- I figured I should get coffee, got in line, and saw a DALLAS starbucks mug. Never before had I needed one. As I picked it up and handed it over to the cashier, I started bawling. The barista looked at me kinda funny, I said "sorry..." then walked away with my coffee and my Dallas mug.

And that, my friends is my last weekend in Dallas.

The San Francisco blog post is next. :-)

The goodbye party...

2011-10-13T12:01:00.000-05:00

I have a feeling that if I keep waiting to find time to update the blog, I'll get so far behind and won't be able to update all that I want! So I'll break this up a bit and blog about it in pieces.

Let's back up a bit.

Friday night. My friends threw the most amazing 'going' away' party ever. To say that I was overwhelmed, honored, encouraged....well. That would just be understating how I felt. All day on Friday- I knew the party was coming and was well aware that I would most likely fall apart. The entire day- I had a sick feeling in my stomach and was just at a loss with how to deal with all the emotions and feelings I was experiencing.

As I pulled up to the party I received a phone call from my new boss saying they would pay a certain amount of money for my move- which would cover the movers. HOLY MOTHER! I was SOOOOOO freaking relieved. There were so many things that needed to happen in a matter of 3 days and I was, again, at a loss with how to deal.

Friday. 6:45pm. (2.5 days before I have to leave for San Francisco) I finally have information about how my belongings will be getting to Florida.

At the party....

Such sweet friends that prepared and planned.... a great setting, great food (well, I'm assuming it's great...I didn't have a second to eat any of it!) :-)...And an amazing crew of people. As I was watching people arrive- I looked out a window and my jaw DROPPED. The couple I saw walking towards the room had stunned me. Chet and Debbie are from Paris and were part of my home church in East Texas. They drove in to attend the party and see me off!!! I was SO surprised....Chet and Debbie....that meant SOOO much to me!

As friends arrived, I continued to talk, mingle, and make my way around the room. After about an hour, Jen motioned everyone to gather around. She'd arranged for several Floridians that live in Dallas to share some things I need to know about living in Florida...including football teams to be aware of, Tim Tebow (mmmhmmm!) and how to run away from an alligator.

Then. The floor was opened up for people to share their thoughts or words of encouragement to me.
I couldn't begin to type out how honoring it was. For those of you who shared in the big group....again. Saying I was 'honored' sounds so weak in comparison to how my heart felt. There is NO doubt in my mind that I'm loved in Dallas.

For those who came to me after and privately shared with me, your words (and tears) meant the world to me.

As I was beginning to say bye to people- I'd not even processed the fact that I'd be saying bye to my parents this evening as well. Umm......was NOT prepared for that.

But mom and dad....I'm SO glad you were able to come and be a part of that evening. I hope you felt honored as well.

Overall, Friday night was a night I will remember for the rest of my life, I'm sure. There are cards, and letters that I received that evening that I've not yet opened. I wanted to save them and open them once in Florida. So if you gave me a card....I am SO excited to open it :-) I'll do that soon!

To those who brought food, decorations, flowers....(Laura, Jen, Brooke, Raven....others?) Thanks for making the evening possible. My heart is grateful.

Scoping out the Land

2011-10-06T09:27:00.001-05:00

Saturday morning I woke up at 3:45am, brushed my teeth, and got in the car with my mom to head to Tallahassee. Dad was up and had coffee ready for us, said a prayer, and we were on our way.

The drive: 14 hours.
The destination: Tallahassee, Florida.
The plan: find my new home.

The result: Lots of information....no home.

Sunday morning we woke up, took our time getting ready, then headed out around 9:45 to start driving around my new town. We drove first to my new office and planned to start our tour there. The office is right across the street from the state capitol with a small, but cute downtown area surrounding it. We started looking for breakfast and here is where the drama began. My mom, bless her heart, LOVES to experience new things. She likes finding that small little place that is new, out of the box, and 'fun.' We start to drive around looking for this place and I quickly realize that NOTHING I see is familiar. I see no familiar stores, no familiar coffee shops (AKA....STARBUCKS), no familiar ANYTHING. We get a bit turned around, finally find the place she's located on her phone, and I drive past and say "no way are we eating there." The overwhelming feelings begins to settle in. The "what the heck am I doing!!!" feeling. We pull off the road and I explain to mom in the least dramatic way possible at this moment "I need something familiar. I don't want to try something new and cute. I want something familiar. NOTHING around me makes sense. I need something that makes sense." (Ok, so tears were included.) So we look for an Einstein Bagels. Our GPS lady (whom I named Gretchen) takes us there and says "Your destination is on the right. You have arrived at your destination." Only problem was....there was no Einstein. We were on the FSU side of town and we concluded that the Einstein must have been inside the campus. So we keep driving. Finally find a random bagel place, order our coffee and bagel and sit down. At this point it was 11:45.

We were hoping to have a bit more 'coffee and chill" time before hitting the pavement hard looking for apartments, but since we only had 1/2 day on Sunday to do so (most apartments are not open until noon on Sundays) we needed to get going. I won't bore you with the details of looking at place after place- but we did a LOT of that. Didn't find a place that just wow'd me with the apartment itself AND the price. Well, let me take that back. I did find once place that WOW'd me...including the hammock deck out by the pool, but the price wow'd me as well cause it was so high... :( But oh well. Keep looking!

Sunday evening we grabbed dinner at a place called Moe's...(think chipotle/taco cabana) and headed back to the apartment to crash.

Monday morning I'd made plans to go by my new office to meet my new coworkers.

I left mom at the hotel and headed over to starbucks to grab coffee and read my bible...cause let's face it. I needed Jesus, in a BIG way. I needed him to do some big things on that day.

I drove to my new office and headed in to meet my new co-workers.

The office was beautiful. The people were friendly. The sigh of relief came.

I needed Monday morning. I needed it really bad. I needed to feel that sense of "this CAN be good."

The rest of the day was, again, spent looking at apartments. There was a HUGE difficulty in this process.

The trees.

Yes, the trees.

You can't see anything from the road. Everything is hidden. You can't just drive past, see an apartment complex and say "hey, let's look there!" That added to the frustration of the trip.

I finished up Monday evening by meeting up with a couple that lives in Tally and is planning to start an ARC church in the next 6 months. I'd started looking for a church the moment Tallahassee became an option for me. Was really disappointed to not really see much. :( I did see that a church was going to be planted but didn't know much more than that. So what did I do? I got on Twitter to look it up. Found the pastor. Tweeted him to find out more, then was able to email and find out more about the church!

Another reason I LOVE Twitter.

Excited to learn more, meet their team, and see if this would be a good fit!

Headed back to the hotel, went to bed at around 11:30pm, only to wake up at 3:45am. Got on the road at 4am and drove straight through. Seriously. We knocked an hour off our time. Stopped only to get gas.

So that's the update.

Lots of decision to be made. Very little time.

If you think about it, pray for me. I could use it :--)

I'm still REALLLY excited about my new job. I'm confident that this is exactly where the Lord wants me. I just want to be brave but it's REALLY hard.

It's Really Happening

2011-09-25T10:35:00.000-05:00

I've turned in my 2 week notice.
I've announced it on twitter and facebook.
I'm going to Florida next week with my mom to find a place to live.

This. Is. Really. Happening.

Last night was my 2nd to last service at Gateway Church (in person, anyways. Thanks goodness for live webcasts.)

The first song had some technical difficulties (which hardly EVER happens, but must admit, I REALLY love it when it DOES happen....reminds me that this church is normal.) ;-) and the first 2 notes of the 2nd song had played and I felt it. Yeah. I felt the tears start to surge up my tear ducts. There was nothing I could do. It was coming. The first waves of emotions/tears in regards to the big adventure I'm about to embark on.

This was the song that played to start off my night of tears...and if people can claim songs....Then I am claiming this one. It's my song. Seriously. Written for me. Listen. You'll understand.

Faithfulness, Part 6- My story.

2011-09-20T11:42:00.000-05:00

I honestly did not plan for this blog series to turn out this way. I did not know that I'd be the finishing story.

If that's the case- I would have done this blog series several months ago! :-) But here it is. My story. That finally unfolded in the past week.

The Backstory:

I’ve been really excited about this particular blog post for 4 months now. I’m not joking. 4 months. And 4 months ago, I had no idea what this post would say- but I KNEW that it would be an account of God’s faithfulness. 3 months ago. I still didn’t know what this post would say. 2 months. 1 month. 3 weeks. 2 weeks. Yeah. 2 weeks ago- I was REALLLLLY excited for this blog post, but still had no idea what it would say. But again, I KNEW it would be an account of God’s faithfulness. 1 week ago. Still didn’t know. On Wednesday, September 14, 2011- God revealed to me in a most incredible way what this blog post would say. He revealed to me yet another piece of my story….Another account of His faithfulness to me.

Let’s back up a bit farther, yes?

You may remember back in May when I posted about having to move. Yeah, I moved 4 months ago. A new apartment, a new roommate, and lots of boxes. My lease had ended, as my roommate Hailey had gotten married. I’d made several different arrangements and plans kept falling through. 2 weeks before I was supposed to be out of my apartment, I still had no idea where I’d be moving to. Finally, I called my friend Rachel and asked if she wanted to be my roommate. I knew she was seriously dating someone, didn’t know what her timeline was- but knew she’d just taken a job 45 minutes away from where she’d previously been living. She said yes! I was really excited. We planned the move- made it happen- and 1 month later…..SURPRISE!!!! RACHEL GETS ENGAGED! (side note: I DID know when I moved in with Rachel that she’d be getting engaged soon and that our apartment life together would be short lived- but it DID give me another 4 months to figure out what I was going to do.)

So! That’s why I say- 4 months ago- I was crazy excited about this blog post. I knew, come October, I’d be making a move again….to where? I had no idea. With whom? Again, no idea. But what I did know was that I serve and love a God that has never failed to provide. Never. It may not always look like what I think it should- or what I imagined…But it’s ALWAYS been good. And always in His perfect timing.

So, when I moved in with Rachel in June- I started thinking about my Fall plans. I knew it was going to be a big change. The way the previous housing situations had fallen through…the way Rachel and I became roommates…it just seemed like a perfect setup for God to do something big in my life. I started to allow myself to dream a little bit. I’ll be honest, I don’t often allow myself to dream that often. Sometimes, to me, dreaming feels like setting myself up for disappointment. But either way. I began to think big.

I was thinking- come October- I wouldn’t be tied down to a lease. If I were going to have to move…Why not a big move? I even posted about it. Remember this post? Yeah, I started looking at the Carolinas. I have family there. It seemed like a great idea. Then someone mentioned Arizona. I began to consider that too. My sister lives there. Could be a good fit.

So- either way- I knew I had to move. From the moment I moved in with Rachel- I was prepared for this. I knew it was coming. So I began the out of state job hunt.

I probably applied for 40 different jobs…typed up just as many cover letters…went through a job search process that was pretty much foreign to me. All the while, trusting that God would provide. He would provide either the perfect living situation in Dallas or He would provide a job.

In the last 4 months, journal entry after journal entry has ended with these statements:

• I know you’re working for my good. I know it.

• Jesus, you are enough.

• Help my unbelief.

• I want to be where You want me to be, Jesus.

• I know you will come through.

• Your will, Lord. That’s all I know to pray.

• I know Your voice.

• I know an answer is coming.

• DO. YOUR. THING.

• I will have no fear.

• Swing wide the right doors.

• Those who seek the Lord lack NO GOOD THING.

• HELP MY UNBELIEF!

• Lord, you WILL provide.

• You are big.

• Your timing is perfect.

• Do what You do best, Jesus.

• Show off. Please.

• I know you love me.

• You. Are. Faithful.

• You are big. I know this.

• I hate Satan.

• Do your thing.

• You. Are. Good.

• You. Are. Good.

• You. Are. Good.

How it Happened:

So. In my job hunt, I was contacting friends like crazy asking if they happened to know anyone in South Carolina. One of those friends I asked was Grace. Grace is not from Texas and I know she has a huge community of friends that does NOT live in Texas. So I called her up to see if she had any connections in the SC. She said she had some things she could check into and that she’d get back to me.

Well, a month later (2 weeks ago) I get a phone call from Grace. She said “I know you’ve been looking at South Carolina, but would you be interested in Florida?”

(Also... In addition- I sent out an email 2 weeks ago to several friends asking for their 'Faithfulness' stories. I needed my faith to be encouraged...having no idea mine would so quickly follow)

I went on to get some details from her…It would be a social media job in Tallahassee. I went ahead and emailed with Grace’s contact person and got more information. Seemed like it would be an interesting job. And the opportunity to work remotely would be a huge benefit. So I sent in a proposal on Thursday evening (Sept 8) and just waited. That weekend I was talking to a friend and I just explained that while this may seem like a crazy job to apply for (um, considering I know ZERO people in Tallahassee), I really felt as though I needed to knock on every door the Lord placed in front of me. A couple days later, my little sister, who is looking to move to Portland asked me if I thought it was bad she was ONLY applying for jobs in Portland. Thinking about my previous conversation with my friend Laura, I said “Caralyn…kinda like where I am right now- I just feel as though I need to be open to whatever the Lord might want. If I ONLY apply in South Carolina- I am saying to the Lord ‘this is your box. Work within it’ and I don’t want to do that.”

I encouraged her that Monday night to just knock on lots of doors and trust the Lord to open the right one. That’s really all I could offer since that’s what I was in the middle of living out.

On Wednesday, things started to shift a little bit at work. Left a little early and headed to the gym to run off some steam. Tweeted as I left work “God, today would be a great day to so something BIG. Thanks.” I called mom and in angry tears said “HE HAS GOT TO DO SOMETHING!!!!” She responded “Minda, you’re in the 11th hour.” My response was a heart wrenching “Mom….it’s more like 11.5!!!”After my workout I went home and sat on my couch. Yes. Just sat there. I heard my phone make it’s “You’ve got Mail” noise. I opened it up to find an email from the Tallahassee job offering me a position.

I just stared. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t express any emotion. I just sat there. All I could say was “God, I knew you would do something. I knew it…..I Knew it…….I knew it.”

I called mom and dad with the info…Dad’s response was “Minda, I knew God answered prayers but didn’t know He answered tweets!”

With thumbs up from mom and dad….with a peace in my heart….with excitement of the unknown….with a stronger assurance that my God will provide….and in HIS perfect timing, I’ve accepted the job in Tallahassee Florida.

More details to come- but that is part of the story.

Faithfulness, Part 5- Christian

2011-09-16T09:08:00.000-05:00

2 years ago, my community of friends at Gateway got a HUGE blessing when James and Christian Lee came around. I'd tweeted one afternoon that I was wanting to get my rollerblades out of the closet and was looking to see if anyone I knew had blades to come with me. James tweeted back to me and said "my wife Christian loves to rollerblade! We'll come meet you!" And that's how I met Christian! We went blading that day around a park in Irving and when you've got plenty of time- that's a LOT of time for ME to ask questions. And asking questions, oh- how I DO love that. :-)

Christian is a woman that I have been SO encouraged to watch. She was one of the first married ladies in my current community and watching her relationship with James has been nothing short of inspiring. The way she honors her husband in speech and in action...The way she has made her house into a HOME...The way she loves Jesus. She has navigated this season of marriage with ease and dignity. Last summer- when she'd let me know they were trying to get pregnant- I prayed for this baby like crazy. So- when I heard the news several months ago- to say I was excited would be a HUGE understatement... I'm SOOOOO flippin ready for "Baby Lee" to make her arrival!! Baby Lee, God is placing you into a home that is FAR beyond what most kids get. Your mom and dad love Jesus & love people.

Here's Christian's account of God's faithfulness in her life:

My life is fairly simple. I try not to buy things we don't need, I declutter often and I just simply love to live. James (my husband) and I often have talks about how both of us don't require a lot of "things" and just live with what we have. Of course, we splurge every now and again, but most of the time we just simply live. I say all of this to say, I think things are about to change! We are expecting Baby Lee in January. We are super excited but we are finding out she will require a lot of "things." I'm trying not to freak out about all the things that will just have to be out in the open and not neatly put away in its place. Babies require a lot...and I'm sure I haven't even thought about half of the things we are going to need. But I wouldn't trade any of this, the money we are going to spend, the extra pressures of being a parent, the baby stuff around the house because she is an answer to prayer :) (And Ms. Minda was part of all that praying!!)

Last fall, James started traveling every week from the middle of August until November. He would leave on Wednesday mornings and come back Sunday morning or afternoon. Knowing this was coming up, we started trying for our baby the beginning of last summer. In my mind we had 3 months to get the job done. If it didn't happen in those 3 months, then my life would just be ruined. Well, it didn't happen in those 3 months and it turns out, my life was not ruined. Imagine that! That season with James traveling was better than I could have imagined. Not because he was gone all the time, but because even though he was not physically with me, we still grew closer together. It's very hard to explain. Well, nevermind, it's not. God. That explains it!

We continued to try and I went through a lot of emotions and the devil really tried to attack me. I would get thoughts like "you aren't ready to be a parent" or "your body isn't good enough to carry a child" I'm so thankful that James was there to help me through all of those lies. He's so great at comforting me! We got lots of questions about if I was taking my temperature every morning, was I writing everything down in a calendar so I would know when it was "time" and many other questions. I did try these things but only for a short time and by short time I mean, maybe a month, if that. I felt like I was trying to be in control of the situation and honestly, I didn't want to be in control. I wanted it to happen when He wanted it to happen.

And He wanted it to happen this past May. Our prayers were answered. And it was the perfect timing. I have absolutely LOVED being pregnant. From maternity pants (my new favorite thing!) to feeling flutters in my tummy to seeing her yawn in a sonogram and so many other things. It has been the best 5 months so far and I know it will only get better in the months and years to come. She will be loved, she will be spoiled and she will have lots of stuff. And I'm totally ok with that! His timing is perfect. He. Is. Faithful.

Faithfulness, Part 4- Jennifer

2011-09-14T08:26:00.001-05:00

Alrighty, peoples! Next up is my dear friend, Jennifer. I met Jennifer back in 2008 and quickly realized that this woman is strong. Her faith is strong. Her heart is strong. Her love for people is strong. This woman is an encourager. She will look you square in the face and call out giftings in your life. She will do whatever is within her to help call out the lies that the enemy might be feeding you. She speaks Truth. She speaks love. Jennifer is a stunning woman that exudes femininity. And she is a woman of great faith. Here is her story:

Time was running out. This was the last weekend before I had to sign a contract of some kind. I had been doing what I knew to do, but nothing was coming through. Weekend after weekend, day after day...nothing. I knew God had put this search on my heart, but didn't He know that this was cutting it a *little* close?

On Memorial Day 2010, I asked my dad out on a breakfast date. Conversation flowed over coffee and massive IHOP omelets. At some point, the conversation turned to what I was going to do when my time with my roommate, Laura, ended that October. I told Dad that I think God wanted me to look for a house. I had, after all, written that as one of my goals that year: Buy a house in November. I don't know why I picked November. It just suited. Dad was all on-board with that. He said, "Didn't you tell us that you wanted to buy a home after 2-3 years of living in DFW?" And the lightbulb in my memory went off - Yes, I had said that! Totally forgot about it, until that moment. So with his blessing, I started to walk with the Lord on a journey to find a home.

I would go into house after house, dreaming of what it could become. I didn't know what I could ask for in a first home. I didn't want to sound like a picky first-time home buyer. I just told my realtor that I wanted to live in Fort Worth, and if at all possible, I wanted wood floors and good windows. In my heart of hearts, though, I had a ton of ideas on what I'd like. I painted that picture in full detail: a mosaic backsplash in the kitchen, white cabinets, a gas stove, a roof that was in good shape, dark-stained hardwood floors, three bedrooms. The list went on! The Lord was the only person I told. I was grateful for whatever He gave me, so painting this picture was pure fun. My most secretest wish? A red door. A good red, not a cheap one. ;-)

Meanwhile, "normal life" was CUH-RAY-ZEEEEE! It was consumed with packing up Laura's and my apartment, painting it back with primer, scrubbing it down, moving into Laura's new house, helping her scrub and paint her new house, sewing a wedding dress for a friend somewhere in there, going to weddings, prepping for Laura's wedding, transitioning a brand new team at work, and doing regular everyday stuff to live. (My heart rate is increasing as I type. Excuse me while I hyperventilate!) I was tired and worn out. Time wasn't waiting for me.

There was one townhome that had been in the picture for awhile. Great price, just remodeled, hardwood floors, appliances that came with it...but for whatever reason, something didn't sit right with me. I figured that I needed to be more "open" lest I started missing the forest for the trees. Something had to happen that weekend to allow the month long processing time for escrow and such. I didn't know what to do. Desperate, I told the Lord, "Father, I have to find my house by this weekend to close in time. If You don't show me something besides this townhome, I'm going to assume that You want me to put in a bid on it." Wouldn't you know that it had sold the day before!

Ummmm......Lord? You there? I obviously have to keep looking. But how am I going to "know" what house is the right one? Did I miss it? In that moment, He whispered, "You will know it when you see it." Peace flooded my heart.

Back to Zillow.com I went. As I looked through the same houses I'd seen before, there was one that caught my eye. It was in Ft. Worth. Looked like it had a cute kitchen. The more I looked at the pictures, the more I thought, "Wow, this could be it!" I laughed, "But Lord, let's be honest...I've said that before." To which He replied, "You'll know it when you see it..."

That Friday, on the LAST possible weekend, I met my realtor at the house I saw on Zillow. Guess what it had? A red door! I opened that darling (not cheap, but really deep) red door to find the picture in my heart sitting in front of me. I'm talking the backsplash to the gas stove to the new roof to the shade of the wood floors, people! I turned to my realtor, saying, "This is my house." There wasn't a doubt in my mind.

The first night in my new home was full of emotion. Weary from the intensity of the past months, I fell to my knees and balled on the kitchen floor. I was overwhelmed and awed at the miracles He did to show Himself faithful on my behalf, many of which I haven't even mentioned in this post for the sake of length. It's fun to talk about a red door and all, but really, it's just icing on the cake. From the conversations He and I would have in the car, to the nights of crying out to Him for relief from life's stress, to the moment when He whispered sweet assurance to my heart, to watching Him perform literal miracles...walking with Him is the greatest joy. His faithfulness is the greatest adventure. Seems He likes settin' the stage for His glory! Just when I thought (and I thought it MANY times) He was cuttin' it too close, it turns out He was really setting up my circumstances so that there'd be no doubt in my mind that HE did it!

Oh, and remember how my goal was "Buy a house in November"? Well, because my closing date got pushed out twice, I closed November 5th! :-)

Faithfulness, Part 3- Osame

2011-09-12T11:17:00.000-05:00

The next count of God's faithfulness comes from my friend, Osame. I met Osame while in college and were part of a small group together in which we started out each week by playing the game "Big Booty." Don't know the game? Don't ask. Either way- I got to know her more through that small group- but really began to connect with her when myself and 4 other girls began to meet up for a more connected/purposeful time of accountability and prayer. 7 years later, this girl is still one that I know I can call any time of day or night if I need something. Her heart for me is huge- but her heart for Jesus is even bigger. The past 5 years I've been able to witness her steadfastness to the Lord in a job/school transition that seemed insane. The whole time- trusting that God would come through. Trusting His heart for her was good. Here's her. She makes me want to Trust Him more and remain Faithful to His Word.

God's faithfulness in my life has never ceased to amaze me! He has taught me how to wait on Him to perfect even the minor things. I've learned that in the midst of the rain He is a shelter. After five years of an unsatisfying career, I now have my "dream job" where each day is a new challenge and opportunity to lean on Him. My Father has good things in store, but better than the blessing, I have been reassured of how much He really desires to bless me and use me to impact hurting people. Trust God....even when you have to wait for the promise. :)

Faithfulness, Part 2- Caralyn

2011-09-09T08:50:00.001-05:00

Well. The next post on Faithfulness is coming from my little sister, Caralyn. And let me start of by saying- I've prayed for lots of people in my life. Lots. But when I pray for this girl...my baby sister....I can't help but tear up. Every time. Every morning when I sit on my couch- whenever Caralyn comes to mind, my heart is overwhelmed with emotion. Because if God has been faithful to anyone...it has been to her. If I know she's walking through something tough, I ACHE for her. If I know she's in a good place and happy- I get emotional. Because I'm so grateful for the Lord being BIG in her life. So, Caralyn, good or bad season of life, my heart is overwhelmed with emotion- because I love you so much. I cry when she's hurting. I cry when she's happy- because it makes me so happy to know she's happy. :-)

Here's her post. (side note- it starts off with a post she'd written a couple of months ago- then continues with the 'follow up') (side note #2- in addition. Should let you know when she sent this to me- I did the ugly cry. I mean...the REAL ugly cry. Was what I needed to read. Love you Caralyn)

God has not given me a spirit of fear.

God told me he would never leave me or forsake me.

He told me not to be anxious, because he would take care of me.

He takes hold of my hand and walks with me, and tells me not to fear, because he is with me, that he will help me.

He told me to be strong and courageous, that I should not be afraid for He is with me, and he is walking with me, and that he will never leave me nor forsake me.

He gave me peace. Not fear. Peace. He told me not to let my heart be troubled by fear.

I recognize the fear.

I'm calling out the fear. And I'm searching and praying for His perfect love.
'There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love."

1John 4:18

Not gonna lie, the last sentence kinda makes me feel as though because I have fear, I'm not truly a believer, not really saved.

Because shouldn't I not have fear? Do I not have his perfect love? Do I have to work towards that?

Is that only when I get to heaven, or should I feel no fear now?

I didn't intend to end this on an inquisitory note."

I wrote this blog several months ago. I had recognized that I lived fearfully, and no longer wanted to do that. but at the end of my blog, I read a verse that made me feel... less than adequate as a believer. I thought that because I feared, I was not in Christ's love.

Not a surprising thought from the girl who is scared.
My life is about to go through some major upheavals. I'm finally finally finally graduating from college, I'm looking for a new job, I'm planning to move to Portland, Oregon, I'm going to start all over in finding friends, community, and my place in this world [MWS, anyone?]

I will also be very far away from both sisters and my parents. I will be far away from everything that has been familiar.
That starts to become panic inducing for me. What if I don't get a job? What if I have to stay in Tyler? What if I fail my boards? What if I don't make friends? What if? What if?

And I start to become afraid.
Recently, however, I listened to a sermon by Mark Driscoll called "Jesus and Anxiety". He spoke on a chapter in Luke, 12:22-34

22And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?

27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

32 "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The part that stuck out to me the most is where Jesus says, "Fear not."

He doesn't say it in a manner that, if I fear, I'm not part of him. He doesn't say it angrily. He says it softly. "Fear not, little flock."
He tells them to fear not, because he knows they fear.

Because he knows they will fear in the future.
Because fear resonates within all of our souls.

What if life doesn't go the way I planned? What if this happens? What if that happens? What if???
And Jesus just keeps telling us to "fear not".
Because he doesn't want me to be anxious or afraid.

Because even though I don't know the whole story, He does. And he has a beautiful, beautiful plan for me. A plan that doesn't want to harm me.

Because it brings him pleasure... GOOD pleasure, to give me the kingdom.

Because he takes care of the lilies, and the ravens, and the beasts of the field. And how much more will he take care of me, of so little faith?

Because he loves me.
Over and over and over he tells me through out the bible, "Fear not! For I am with you.

Fear not! For I am your shield.

Fear not! For I will bless you.

Fear Not! Do not be dismayed.

Fear not! I will come with a vengeance and come save you.

Fear Not! For I am the one who helps you.

Fear not! For I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine.

Fear not! Do not be afraid!

Fear not! Peace be with you, be strong and of good courage!

Fear not! My spirit remains with you!
Fear not!

Because he knows that I become afraid. But he loves me, and he is with me, and he will keep me.
I'm letting the burden of my fears go today.. because I have considered the lilies. And they are lovely. And my Jesus loves me more than lilies.

Faithfulness, Part 1- Jaclyn

2011-09-07T09:35:00.001-05:00

Last week, my friend Leticia sent out an email update sharing the mark of 1 year living in New York. As I read the email, I was reminded of different events that had taken place during her first year. Areas in which we'd pray to see the Lord move. Reading that email did something to my faith. It was as though it was a present-day part of the bible. Where I'd just been reading about Daniel, Moses, Joshua...I just picked up that morning reading about Leticia too. The Lord came through for her just as He'd come through for those in the Bible. Every area in which we'd prayed about had been answered.

This email from Leticia prompted me to ask a couple other friends to share a story of God's faithfulness in their life. If reading stories of God's faithfulness could increase my faith even a little- then I needed to start reading LOTS of stories, as I'm in a place right now of needing to see Him move. And of course, I figured, if it encouraged me, who knows. Maybe someone reading this blog needs to have a couple of 'present-day' stories of God's faithfulness.

With that said, I introduce to you my friend Jaclyn. I've blogged about Jaclyn before because she is just incredible. This summer Jaclyn picked up and moved to DC to take a teaching job. A friend of almost 10 years, Jaclyn is the girl that makes me laugh more than anyone I know. Having 10 years of relationship equity with someone allows you to be comfortable with them and understand when and how to read between the lines during conversation. I pray for this woman every day and my life would not be the same without her. Here is an account of God's faithfulness to her in this season:

I have come to understand faithfulness through Love & Logic.

I am currently a middle school teacher. This is the beginning of my fifth year teaching, however, I am in a whole new ball game. Learning to understand and communicate with humans that are irrational and emotionally unstable is a challenge, to say the least. I have to implement a lot of Love & Logic, something I had heard about before, but never put into practice. The idea is that you empathize with children in disciplining them and deal with it in a logical way, such as not engaging in arguments.

A classic example might look like this:

Me: “Michael, stop kicking Camille’s chair.”
Michael: “I wasn’t even kicking her chair!!”
Me: “Yes you were. I saw the desk move!”
Michael: “That’s because she pushed her desk into mine!”

And so on and so forth. We don’t get anywhere. The whole class is now off-task. I probably don’t win that argument because we’d probably end up dropping it just to move on.

Logically, the conversation might go:

Me: “Michael, stop kicking Camille’s chair.”
Michael: “I wasn’t even kicking her chair!!”
Me: “What did I ask you to do?”
Michael: “But I wa…(cut off by me)”
Me: “What did I ask you to do?”
Michael: “Stop kicking her chair.”
Me: “Great, thank you!”

Anyway, all that to say, middle school kids don’t like to accept the critique the first go-round, even if they know they were doing it. Like most of us, it’s never their fault!

There has been an extended time recently (like say…the past nine months!?), when I didn’t understand why things were happening; why I couldn’t have what I was asking and praying for, for God’s sake! I thought I had been so faithful to what I was supposed to do and then it was gone. Like my students, I was demanding answers but wasn’t ready to hear the reason I was being “punished” because in my mind no reason was going to be good enough.

When this happens with my kids, I usually give them some time during the day and come back to them later and ask if they know why I did this or that or why I was disappointed in them. A lot of the time, they will be able to tell me the exact reason(s), but sometimes they are still angry and refuse to talk. With some of them, it takes a little while longer, and I just have to wait until they’re ready.

During this time in my life, the Lord knew that any answer He gave me wasn’t going to fix it. I wasn’t going to hear and be satisfied. I needed some cooling off time, and He patiently waited. Gradually, as I settled down and became more ready to talk rationally and listen, He began showing me small things here and there. I still pushed back at times (still do!), but I don’t look to Him anymore to see if He’s going to prove Himself. Instead, I look because He already has. He hasn’t changed from when I turned a deaf ear to now. Even when I wasn’t acknowledging Him, He acknowledged all of my words, my thoughts, my tears, my hurts. He empathizes. He loves. He was faithful to stay.

Ladies of the Lake

2011-08-31T09:15:00.000-05:00

I traveled this last week to the Carolinas with 5 other girlfriends. My Aunt Mary and Uncle Steve opened up the lake house for us to enjoy for a long weekend!!

Was an incredibly relaxing trip as we had NO plans....no agenda.... The only plan we had was to be professional lake chillers. And that's what we did. Thanks so much for a FANTASTIC trip, friends! I'd travel with you again ;-)

-insert your own caption-

2011-08-19T11:15:00.001-05:00

When reading my bible in the morning, there are a few things I love to do. I love to have a cup of coffee with me. I love the apartment to be cold. And I love to have a blanket. Oh. And I love to have fun pens with my journal.

Oftentimes when reading a story that makes me laugh, I will write “HAHAHA” next to that story. For instance, in 1 Kings- 22, King Ahab (a not-so-good- king) wanted someone to speak a word over him- but refused to have a particular (good!) prophet of the Lord come and give him a word. He said “I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad!” That just made me laugh. Because he WAS bad. And was doing bad things! (if you don’t find that funny, I’m sorry for making you read that).

Or. For instance. If there is something else that sticks out to me, I’ll write my thoughts. Again, another instance: In Proverbs 15- next to verse 17- you will see that I have written “I LOVE HELEN” next to it. Why? Well. That verse says “Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.” My friend Helen is, basically, a vegetable lovin-yoga stretchin-happyhearted lady that loves Jesus. And she LOVES vegetables. And she loves people well. So that verse just makes me think of Helen every time I read it! :-)

But!

This week! I wrote something in my bible next to a story and the Lord quickly challenged me in what I’d written.

Check it out.

Was reading in Exodus this week. Moses led the people across the Red Sea. I blogged earlier about that. But after they crossed over, they were without water or food. Basically- there was a water source- but the water was bad. The people grumbled and Moses called on the Lord. The Lord gave instructions to Moses in how to make the water better- he did it- and voila! The water was better. Jump over 2 chapters- and the people have moved on and are camping out in a new location. Again. The same thing happens. The people grumbled because there was no water and Moses cries out to the Lord.

Ok. Here is where my pen was quick to write. I wrote “THIS FRUSTRATES ME SO MUCH! The Lord had JUST provided water for them and here they are grumbling again! Don’t they remember what He had JUST DONE?!!?”

Right after I wrote that sentence (in pen, mind you) in my bible, the Lord said to me “Minda…they still needed water. They were in a new place. They may have grumbled and complained- but that doesn’t change the fact that they still needed water.”

Insert silence.

Ugh.

This spoke to me in a couple of ways. First- I’m in a position in which I’m looking to move to South Carolina. And I have felt AWFUL looking for a new job. Seriously. I keep saying “Lord, I love my job- and you provided it in such an AMAZING way for me last year. I feel guilty even ASKING you for anything else.”

To that- He says- “You are going to be in a new place. You STILL need ‘water’….You needed ‘water’ last year- and in the new place you will be- you will STILL need ‘water’. I’ll provide.”

And 2nd. It just reminded me that I NEVER EVER want to be in a place in which I have forgotten what He has done for me in the past. Let me always bring to mind Your faithfulness before starting to worry, stress, or grumble and complain.

11th Hour Wind

2011-08-16T12:45:00.000-05:00

This morning I was reading in Exodus and was at the point in the story in which the Egyptians are chasing after the Israelites and the Israelites are facing the Red Sea.

You need some back history? Ok.

Joseph. Remember him? His dad gave him the coat of many colors. His brothers became envious and sold him into slavery. He sits in prison for a LONG time but then interprets a dream that not only gets him OUT of prison- but places him as one of the top men in the palace. He then brings all his family (and cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts...etc) to Egypt to be saved from the famine.

Well. Joesph dies- and the new Pharaoh doesn't know about Joesph and how he saved the nation. So he sees all Joseph's people (which has grown exponentially at this point) and says "They are taking over! Let's make them our slaves."

So now they are oppressed, beaten, and just downright miserable. Enter Moses. He comes in and becomes the famous "Let My People Go" man.

Yeah. You've heard of him. God uses him to bring frogs, locusts, gnats, etc....all to torment the people of Egypt so that they'll abandon their cause and just let the Israelites (those are Joseph's people) go.

Now. They've gotten out. Moses said "Let my people go!" and Pharaoh says "take yo people and go."

So they go. But then the Egyptians are so lazy at this point and need someone to wash their clothes, bring them grapes, and fan them when they start to sweat. Yeah. They needed their slaves back. So they decided to go after them.

NOW. We're back to the original story.

So the Israelites are facing the Red Sea with the Egyptians on their heels.

God tells Moses to stretch forth his hand over the sea and all night long- the Lord drives the sea back with a strong wind and made it dry land.

Point number 1. As Priscilla Shirer said at Pink Impact 2011....If you are facing a Red Sea....then you get to WITNESS a Red Sea being split for you.

How true is this?!?! They got to witness first hand the power of God and his ability to work on their behalf.

Are you facing a "Red Sea?" I am. But I'm SO excited to see how the Lord is going to send in that wind to part the water.

Point number 2. This morning as I was reading through Exodus 14...I realized another thing. Right after the water is parted, the Israelites begin to cross over to the other side. But guess who else starts to cross over too?

I'm sure they are thinking..."umm.....You've making a way for us too but these people are STILLLLL following!!!" God wasn't done yet. Verse 24 says "During the LAST WATCH of the night, the Lord looked down at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. Wheels started to come off their chariots." Then. Waters went back to their original place. While the Egyptians were still in the middle. Yeah. He just did that.

The phrase 'last watch' stood out to me like a sore thumb.

Anyone else think that God always moves at the 'last minute' possible?

No. It's in His perfect timing.

To the Israelites- they were in an '11th hour' situation. And in the last watch...God wiped out their enemy with one swoop.

You may feel as though you're in a last minute situation. I know I do right now.

But during the last watch, He'll seal the deal and leave you standing in awe.

A big update. KING Sized big. Which reminds me...how you sleepin??

2011-08-12T11:26:00.000-05:00

If you’ve known me for any length of time, you know a couple of things about me:

• My roommates always seem to get married

• I am often finding new roommates & warning them marriage will quickly ensue by living with me.

• I love South Carolina

• I go to South Carolina once or twice a year

• I love my job

• I’m a safe person.

• I don’t like to make big decisions if it involves much risk.

Well. My roommate gets married in October- which means I’m looking to move again.

But here’s the kicker.

I’m looking to make a big move.

South Carolina, to be exact.

Why South Carolina? Well. Here are a few things.

My grandparents live there as well as my aunt/uncle/cousins

Ever since I was in High School- I wanted to move to South Carolina.

Every time I actually THOUGHT about it and started to put feet to that plan- fear overwhelmed me.

Definitely felt unsettled about it.

For the past 10 years, I have revisited that same thought… “Could I move there?”

Every time…Loved the idea- but never felt peace about it.

So when my roommate from 2010 got engaged and prepared to marry- I started thinking about SC again.

Didn’t feel the normal uneasy feeling.

Ended up moving in with a friend, Rachel (who, by the way, has been a GREAT roommate) who I knew was seriously dating someone and that marriage would soon follow.

When I made the move to this apartment with her- rather than signing a year lease at a different place- I just knew that the Lord would be doing something big in October.

Again. Revisited the SC thoughts. Still felt peace.

So. For the past month- I’ve been hitting the pavement in a BIG way looking for a job in South Carolina.

Which brings me to my other point.

I love my job. In a BIG way I love it.

The Lord totally provided this job for me in May of 2010 in the most incredible way.

My first thoughts regarding moving were “How could I leave a job that I LOVE and one that the Lord so incredibly provided for me?”

But as quickly as the question was posed- it was answered with “I’d do it all again for you.”

In the middle of even typing this out- I just got an email from a friend saying “Are you dead set on moving to SC?”

I’m not dead set on anything if the Lord decides to close doors.

But I do know- that in the meantime- I’m looking for Jobs in Greenville, SC.

So. If you know anyone out in that area that might be able to help set me up with a job- Let me know!

Questions? Comments? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

In addition- I’d love your prayers! This is a BIG deal for me.

My parents and sister live in Texas.

I’ve never NOT lived in Texas.

I have THE most amazing friends a girl could ask for in Texas.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my church and church family.

But I feel as though it’s time to step out.

Pray for me? It would be appreciated.

It's that time.

2011-08-11T21:15:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to my TV screen Cowboys. I've missed your blue and silver.

Let's have a good season, ok?

mmkk.

Empty Pages

2011-08-05T13:57:00.001-05:00

I am a journaler. First off, is that a word? It should be. But yeah. Did you know that? Yeah, I am a journaler. I'm pretty particular about what kind of journal I will write in, too. But aside from that- my most current journal I started on February 1, 2011.

I was prompted to go back and re-read the first page in this journal.

Here's what it says:

February 1, 2011

For some reason my chest aches with the opening of this journal. So many pages to be filled. So many life experiences. So many heart issues will be written in here. But one thing remains. When this journal is filled- I am SO sure that it will, once again, be filled with story after story of His faithfulness. I will be able to come back and read- and my faith will be increased because I will be reminded of how good my Jesus is.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary." Isaiah 40:28

Needed to be reminded of this. As I am filling out the last of the pages in this journal, I needed to be reminded that whatever it is that will be written in those pages....It will be a story of His faithfulness.

Lunch Time Ramblings

2011-08-02T14:19:00.000-05:00

(ps....Brandon- I wrote this on my lunch break) :-)

From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

-----

I read this passage from Matthew this morning and my first thought was “geeez. A bit harsh huh, Jesus? Calling Peter by the name of Satan?”

And I know where I’m about to go might be a stretch for some of you but it’s what came to mind when I read this.

Girls. When it comes to crushes on guys we like, do you have the friends that tell you “Ohhhh! Girl he’s SOOOO into you!?!” or “oooooh he glanced at you while eating his dinner! It MUST mean he likes you!” or “What?!?! He waved at you from across the parking lot?!?!? Aggggh! He’s in LOVE with you!”

Or you explain something that happened that you have overanalyzed and tell your girlfriend about it and they immediately begin to overanalyze with you? They begin to tell you “Ooooh when he said this…he means this….and therefore- that means he likes you too!” When in reality- the guy couldn’t be farther from having a crush on you.

Is anyone following me?

Or you try on a dress- you ask if it is flattering- and your friends so “heck yes it is! Buy the dress!”

When in reality- the dress couldn't be more unflattering if you put the same dress on a donkey.
Do you have friends in your life keeping you in reality…speaking Truth….and giving you the real story?

Or do your friends give ‘advice’ as described above?

Sometimes when I hear conversations like the ones listed above- I want to shout out at them “Get behind me Satan!”

Would that be a bit harsh?

This passage from the bible might not mean ANYTHING in regards to the situation I just typed out- but hey. It’s what came to mind. So there you have it.

SPEAK TRUTH. Don’t give bad advice. It might not hurt YOU- but it will for SURE hurt the people you’re lying to.

Wanna see my scar?

2011-07-30T11:32:00.001-05:00

Last week as I was enjoying my morning coffee on the deck overlooking the lake in the Carolinas, I was reading and thinking about Thomas. If you have followed this blog long enough, you know that I've written several posts about Thomas, the doubter, from the book of John. Maybe it's because I feel like I relate to him quite a bit. Does that surprise you? It shouldn't.

I wrote earlier this year how I liked the Old Testament better because I felt as though I could relate better with those in the OT. They hadn't walked/talked PHYSICALLY with Jesus like those in the New Testament. I struggle with that a lot. There are some days in which I've said "I need Jesus with SKIN today!"

So while thinking about Thomas, the Lord began to reveal a new aspect of this story to me. Most of us know the story...Jesus had been crucified, dead for 3 days, and then raised. When Jesus first met up with the disciples after all this had taken place, Thomas was not with them. So when the disciples told Thomas that Jesus was alive- Thomas didn't believe them. He said "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

A week later, Jesus appeared to Thomas and said "put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

Jesus showed him the scars.

The scars were what led Thomas to believe.

Are you willing to show your scars?

We all have them. Maybe a past eating disorder. Maybe a previous spending addiction. A marriage that was on the brink of divorce. An immoral addiction. I don't need to keep listing things. You all know what yours are. What if, knowing that by showing your scars, someone would come to know Jesus in a personal way and choose to believe in Him if you would just be vulnerable enough to do just that?

Beth Moore has taught a session titled "Scars Don't Hurt."

In this teaching- she talks about the difference between a scar and a wound. If I saw a wound on your knee and came and pressed on it- it would hurt. But if I pressed on a scar- there would be no pain. You would feel me pressing, but it wouldn't evoke pain.

I'm not suggesting you go around showing people your open flesh wounds....raw pain that you are still dealing with.

But what about the areas that are healed? It's actually a good indicator for you, too, to know if you have allowed complete healing in that area of your life. If someone brings up a subject regarding your past pain and your first thought is to avoid discussion, or to lash out...chances are, that is not a scar. That is a wound that still needs to heal.

I think so often we are tempted to hide our scars so that no one sees them. We say to ourselves "that's in the past. It's over and done with." While they may not evoke pain anymore- we've just been conditioned to hide them for so long that we don't even consider revealing them.

Have you ever thought that maybe showing people the one thing you work so hard to hide might be what brings someone to know Jesus?

There are people in your life dealing with similar things to what you have dealt with in the past and overcome. They think they are either alone, or that it's a pain they will never be able to get rid of.

They doubt God's ability to heal or forgive.

You've got a scar that you can show them.

Be Jesus to a Thomas in your life.

Blessings

2011-07-27T11:05:00.000-05:00

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need

Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if trials of this life

Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear

We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You’re near?

And what if trials of this life

Are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win

We know the pain reminds this heart

That this is not, this is not our home

It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears?

And what if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst

This world can’t satisfy?

And what if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are Your mercies in disguise?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ

My Word

2011-07-13T15:54:00.000-05:00

A friend asked on twitter last week "What is one word that describes you?"

I responded with "Faithful," feeling as though that is a word that best sums me up.

I felt pretty confident in that word....thinking it was a GOOD word to use to describe myself.

That is...until I read this:

Excerpt from Mark Buchanan’s’ book- The Holy Wild

Philip Yancey writes:

“I remember my first visit to Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. Rings of Japanese and German tourists surrounded the geyser, their video cameras trained like weapons on the famous hole in the ground. A large digital clock stood beside the spot, predicting 24 minutes before the next eruption.

My wife and I passed the countdown in the dining room of Old Faithful Inn overlooking the geyser. When the digital clock reached one minute, we, along with every other diner, left our seats and rushed to the windows to see the big, wet event.

I noticed immediately, as if on signal, a crew of busboys and waiters descended on the tables to refill water glasses and clear away dirty dishes. When the geyser went off, we tourists oohed and aahed and clicked our cameras; a few spontaneously applauded. But, glancing back over my shoulder, I saw that not a single waiter or busboy- not even those who had finished their chores- looked out the huge windows. Old Faithful, grown entirely too familiar, had lost its power to impress them.”
In both creation and relationships, faithfulness is the most amazing yet least captivating trait. It is one quality- in the cosmos, in God, in others- that we can’t live without, but that we don’t much live with, either, mindful of it, thankful for it.

If we call a car faithful, we mean it’s functional, not fast, and not flashy. It’s drab and boxy, an old dray horse. Faithfulness is not only boring. In some contexts, it’s almost embarrassing.

I COMPLETELY understand what Mark is saying here. I really do. He goes on to describe how Faithfulness is one of God's most divine characteristics. I would agree.

But.

I wonder sometimes if faithfulness in those around us goes unnoticed far to often....because it seems 'boring...not fast....not flashy." I would say I'm not flashy...not fast. And maybe boring sometimes. But I do know that if I were to stop being faithful- people would notice. You know?

Thoughts? I'd love to hear yours. Do you think faithfulness in those around you is boring? Do you, like the busboys at the Old Faithful Inn, just stop noticing and taking it in?

Bad Theology

2011-07-05T09:56:00.000-05:00

I moved in last month with an AMAZING new roommate, Rachel. I actually met Rachel back in 2007 and it just worked out for us to move in together for a few short months here in 2011. And I do mean a few SHORT months. Rachel got engaged on Friday night to the man of her dreams!! With champagne, fireworks, and a GORGEOUS ring- she said yes to becoming his wife.
When I moved in with Rachel at the beginning of June- she and Justin sat down with me over dinner and said while they weren’t planning a wedding yet- they had certainly talked about it and a time frame. They wanted to be upfront and honest with me about their timeline which I SO appreciated. And, well. My lease was up and I needed a roommate- so moving in with Rachel would buy me a few more months before I needed to make my next roommate/housing change.

So for the last month- I’ve been thinking and praying about what will happen in the fall. The other night, Rachel asked me about how I was feeling about the Fall. I said “To be completely honest with you- been feeling a bit stressed. And not to be uuber christianeese or anything- I just SOOOO badly want to make the right decision. I only want to be where the Lord wants me to be.” Rachel sat there for a second….thought about it…then said “Minda….do you really think that if you choose one place over another that the Lord will say ‘Welp! She choose the wrong place…Not gonna go there with her!’” I sat stunned for a second. She continued “I can understand if it were a moral decision of right and wrong you were choosing between- but really- He already knows where you’ll be and His Word promises that He’ll go with you.”

Again. I sat there, stunned. I realized in this moment that I’d gotten ahold of some bad theology and believed it. Because YES. I DID think that if I chose the wrong place and that if it were not where God wanted me- that life would be horrible, miserable, and disappointing.

In addition, let me remind you about taking the “Strength Finders” test back at the beginning of the year. My #1 strength is Responsibility. While there are GOOD things about this strength- I also know that this prevents me often from making big decisions because I am SO worried about doing the WRONG thing.

So for the past week I’ve been thinking about where this comes from. Why would I believe that making a decision would lead God to desert me?

I think I found my answer this morning while reading in Jonah. Most of us know the story. God told him to go to Nineveh. He didn’t want to. He sails in the opposite direction. There’s a huge storm. The people on board realize the story is because of Jonah. He goes overboard and ends up in the belly of a fish.
Yeah. Awesome, right?
As I read that this morning- My first thought was “This is where my bad theology comes from!”

Granted, Jonah heard the Lord and chose the opposite. But my fear has been “What if I don’t hear Him?? What if He speaks- I don’t hear- and then do the opposite of what He commanded??? Will I end up in a place similar to Jonah???” Being real here, people.

I felt relief as I read this morning. Understanding why I'd believed what I did. But also recognizing where the disconnect was. And knowing where to change my thinking.
So. As of this morning- I’m choosing to rest in the fact that He already knows where I will be living come the Fall. Choosing to remember that whether I’m in Las Colinas, Dallas, Fort Worth, East Coast or West Coast,
He will be there with me.

Psalm 139:7-10

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

United States Postal Service

2011-06-27T08:27:00.000-05:00

I ordered a package at the end of May.

I've not yet received this package.

Granted- I did have an address change.

But here's the deal. When you have a tracking number for a package you should be able to locate it.

I've been on the phone with the post office 7 out of the 8 last mornings.

They put me on hold. I listen to the same 6 notes of music that play. I've even begun singing harmony to the music. Then the person comes back on the phone- tells me they can't find it- and then gets my number.

Today. I asked the man for a phone number at the 'forwarding' office in Coppell.

He said "They don't have a phone number."

I said "Sir. This is the 21st century. I'm positive they have a phone number- now give it to me."

He said "let me put you on hold."

{starts the 'hold' music and I, again, start singing harmony to it.}

He said "I looked on the shelf and the package isn't there."

I said "Sir. for the past 7 days- there have been people lookin on that shelf. And everyone says the same thing. So now it's time for you to look somewhere OTHER than that shelf and find my package."

He says "Let me get my supervisor for you."

{music starts back up again}

Supervisor picks up the phone and I realize I've talked with her before (on Thursday of last week)

I said "Ma'am. We've spoken. I'm trying to find my package."

She said "Oh, you are Ms. Corso?"

"Yes, yes I am."

"May I get your phone number, Ms. Corso?"

I said "Debbie. Every person in your building has my number at this point and NO ONE has cared to use it. Why do you want my phone number?"

Debbie sighs....

I sigh.

She says "I'll call you back."

I JUST WANT MY PACKAGE.

An Update with pics via my iPhone

2011-06-23T10:35:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday morning I left my apartment with the intention of not returning until Sunday night. I headed to work-took care of business- then met up with my parents and sister at Dallas Love Field.

Upon arrival- mom handed me a brown paper bag with my name on it- and said "here are some snacks for the plane ride!" :-) That is just how my mom is. Always thinking of her girls. Always making sure we're happy and content.

Caralyn and I sat together on the plane ride. She listened to music and I read book 2 of the Hunger Games series....GO READ IT! It's amazing. :-) In addition- we of COURSE took lots of silly pictures together.

I know. I'm sure you don't appreciate how funny those pictures are as much as Caralyn and I did. But oh well :-) We had fun....So much that mom decided to join us ;-) I'll leave that picture out though unless she reads this and gives me permission to post it ;-)

We arrived in San Diego- waited for luggage- and stepped outside.

For some of you- you may think the above sentence is boring and not deserving of space on this blog post. But for those of you who can remember going to California for your first time- you know how amazing that moment was.

I stepped outside and immediately could have been fooled into believing that it REALLLY wasn't the middle of June. But no. God must love Californians more than He loves Texans. I'm sure of it after this weekend.

The weather was PERFECTION.

Anyways. Enough about the weather.

We get on the shuttle- head to a car rental place- and are on our way!

Lisa and Paul (bride and groom) were at the hotel waiting for us when we arrived!!!

We unloaded, took lots of pictures, then headed to dinner so that we could all meet Paul's family. We had dinner at BJ's and then called it a night. (and a late night it was- considering our bodies were telling us that it was really 2 hours later)

Oh. In addition- Lisa gave Caralyn and I THE best bridesmaid gifts I've ever received. Honestly. So much so- that I cried. (ok, and on the crying note- I think I've still got lots of tears that need to be had....But any time someone else cried- I would think to myself- ahhh! good! Ok- someone else is crying. It's ok for me to get a few tears out!)...With THAT said- You can rest assure that it was an emotional weekend. Emotional for one reason. Joy. There were no sad tears at this wedding. (well- ok maybe SOME sad tears- but not because Lisa was marrying Paul. There were only sad tears in regards to how we all felt that life was changing)

Thursday included cake pops (yup! I made cake pops in Cali!), pedicures, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and a bachelorette party!

Friday morning came and we all got ready to send Lisa down the aisle!

The location was GORGEOUS: Moonlight Beach- Encinitas, CA-

And the bridesmaids were pretty hott too!

But nothing....NOTHING- could have prepared me for the sight of THE most beautiful bride I've ever seen in my life.

Truly. The most beautiful bride.

The wedding went off without a hitch....Gorgeous. Weather was perfect. The setting was exquisite. The guests were amazing.

In addition- one other thing I noted this wedding weekend. Whoever marries a Corso sister is not just lucky because he's marrying a Corso sister. He's incredibly blessed to be marrying into the Corso/Scheatzle family. Really. The aunts/uncles/cousins/grandparents that you will call family will BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF. The whole weekend I had an overwhelming feeling of gratefulness. Grateful for my family.

We finished the night off with great food, dancing, and cake pops! :-)

Saturday morning- all the Corso's headed to Temecula for a day in the vineyards! YUM! :-)

My mom's side of the family headed to Sea World with the 2 youngest cousins.

We met up for dinner and called it a day.

Sunday we had breakfast/coffee outside- then went to the beach for the morning....As we said goodbye to everyone- it was amazing to be able to say to ALL OF THEM "see you in a month!!!"

We will see all of my mom's side of the family in a month for my cousin Rachel's wedding in Seattle-

The following week- we'll see all the Corso's in South Carolina for family vacation on the lake!

To those of you who survived this post- you're awesome. I know it was long- but wanted to get it documented!

Cheers.

Never Before

2011-06-20T10:05:00.000-05:00

Never before has there been a more beautiful bride.

Seriously.

Trickery

2011-06-14T11:02:00.000-05:00

I heard someone say a couple years ago "We are so often tempted to blame the devil for what is acutally just LIFE." For instance- something happens to our car and causes a huge bill.....We'll say "the enemy is just attacking." No, that's life. Things happen to our cars. Or, for instance- we have horrible traffic on our way to work, in addition- spilling our coffee all over ourself and our car, and then get stopped by a cop on the way to work. We like to blame the devil. No. That's not the devil. We should have left for work earlier- put a lid on our coffee, and drove the speed limit.

When I heard statement for the first time- I'm not gonna lie- It made me a bit edgy...I liked blaming the devil for crappy days. I didn't want somone to take that excuse away from me.

But honestly- the more I thought about it- the more it rang true.

This morning, however, I feel as though I got more clarity in regards to this idea.

The past 3 months have been incredible. I feel as though I finally took an area of my life that the devil had been targeting for YEARS and found victory. Seriously. For YEARS- an area of my heart had been an open target for the devil to come in and wreck havoc. 3 months ago- that changed. I realized what was going on- I called it for what it was- and made the necessary changes to make sure that area of my heart was not left unprotected.

Well. Satan was all to quick to move to another area. An area in which I thought I was doing well! An area in which I thought I was trusting the Lord in . An area that I had no reason to be afraid. Yeah- he slipped on in and started to wreck havoc THERE. And I'm frustrated to say that it DID take me a week or 2 to realize what was going on- but here's what I realized this morning.

Those things that I mentioned at the beginning of the blog that we blame on the devil (the car issues, the spilled coffee, the driving ticket).... I don't think the devil is sitting around thinking "Hmmmm I want to screw up her car!" or "Hmmm. I want to have THIS cop purposefully pull her over this morning"...I think he could care less if our car works or if we get a ticket. But what he DOES want is for our attitude to be affected. He wants to alter our mood so that we are in no way bringing glory to God with our actions/words.

Something happens to our car causing a bill that is unexpected...He slips in and begins to feed us lies of "See...you don't have enough money for that. The Lord really isn't providing for you. You can't trust Him with your finances." We then begin to doubt....and lose trust. We get pulled over by the cop adding to that bill we can't take care of. "See. If God knew about your finances- He'd have allowed you to slip by that cop without getting stopped. Cause He knows you can't take care of that bill." Trust continues to disappear. We begin to doubt the Lord. Putting us exactly where the devil wants us.

Was reading this morning when the Lord kind of gave me a new version of this verse.

Isaiah 43:2 (the Minda version is in parentheses)
When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;
(when LIFE happens- I'm still with you)
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
(When you get that unexpected bill- it won't put you under)
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
(When life seems to be falling apart and the devil does his best to make you believe I've deserted you- I will NOT allow him to win)

Where my heart had been at peace- it was filled with fear. Where my heart had been confident- I was now uncertain. And all it took to change this was calling it for what it was. Life is just happening. And the devil was wanting to make my heart/mind react.

I don't want to react to what's happening. I want my attitude and countenance to be the same in hard times and easier times.

Number 3 is here!

2011-06-10T09:41:00.000-05:00

I met Amy when she was 3 months pregnant with her first son. I was at the hospital when Robert Bryan Sloan IV made his entrance to this world.

When she delivered her 2nd baby- Juliet- I was out of town but made my way QUICKLY to her place as soon as I was in town and got to meet her on her one week birthday :-)

Yesterday- I got to meet Lincoln Harris Sloan. :-)

I love this family. I love their babies. And I love our friendship. Amy, you are a STUNNING mother I love watching you as a mom!

Love you.

Ache

2011-06-08T14:13:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's the fact that I'm going to be traveling a LOT in the next 4 months....or maybe it's the fact that I'm coming up on my 10 year high school reunion. It could also be that one of my best friends in the world just informed me that she's moving 1500 miles away as she took a new teaching job.

But either way. Getting out of Texas is on my mind.

I wonder if I'd be brave enough to do anything about it, though.

The idea is tempting. The idea, once thought about for too long, though, is scary.

Either way. My heart is aching.

One of my friends who I'm the most "Minda" around.....she's leaving. Do we hang out every week? No. But is she the first person I call when I need to get away and breathe? Yeah.

Washington DC is too far.

This is a sad blog post. But my heart is sad. So there you go.

He did it again...

2011-06-01T10:56:00.000-05:00

I was given this as a gift this weekend. Holy Moly Calphalon Cookware!!!! I'd had some friends notice my cookware at a party I hosted and recognized that it was MORE than lacking in functionality...(is that a word?). Yeah. I didn't ask for this. I didn't beg and plead. I just was makin do with with what I had. And Jesus (aka....2 super amazing people that I'm REALLLLY grateful for) decided to plop this in my ever lovin lap. Praise the Jesus. Tonight as I unpack more of my new apartment- I will be throwing away my cookware that I'd rigged with twine. (you think i'm kidding. I'm not kidding)

I called...You answered.

2011-05-31T18:15:00.001-05:00

This time last week I was boxing up all my belongings and making sure they were all taped up and in order- ready for the move this past weekend. Let’s first say….I’ve moved a LOT in the past 9 years. My poor, poor, dad. Maybe I should say…his poor poor back.

Either way- the past couple of moves I’ve had- I’ve been AMAZINGLY blessed to have a crew of friends that were willing to come and help get all my stuff moved.

Well. As I was approaching this move- I hesitated in sending a text message asking for help. And here’s the crazy reason why: I KNEW people would help! Let’s be honest. NO ONE likes to move. Especially in Texas. In JUNE. NO one. And my friends are so amazing that I knew if I texted them- they would come through and say yes.

But I felt so weighted down with the knowledge that it would be a hassle. An inconvenience. For so many. I don’t like that feeling. So I didn’t text anyone.

I put up a notice on Facebook and Twitter- but nothing personal- directly TO anyone.

So. At this point- I’ve decided what I will do. I will move everything MYSELF on Saturday- as much as I can- with my car- making trip after trip after trip. Then Sunday- when dad comes with the big Uhaul- I would only need his help with the big items (washer/dryer/couches/bed).

The stress of what was about to happen was weighing on me. In a BIG way. I wasn’t sleeping well. I knew what was coming. And I was NOT looking forward to it.

On Thursday night- I’d just turned out the light to go to bed when I get a notification that someone had mentioned me on twitter. I open it up to see that my friend had said he could help out!

I was SOOOOOOOOOO relieved! In a SECOND- I felt about 20lbs lifted off my shoulders. All I could think prior to this was “oooh my goodness- how am I going to help dad carry a washer and dryer?!?!”

But with my friend offering to help- I knew he’d be able to help dad! He also said “Don’t worry about renting a dolly! I’ve got one of those too!”

I can’t tell you how much that meant to me. To that friend. Really. You are a stellar guy and your offer was SO generous! It meant the world to me.

So- I laid down to go to bed when my phone rings. Another friend was calling and we chatted for a bit. After a bit, he said “Minda- it’s been on my mind all day to do this- but I want to help you find some movers!”

I said “WOW! That would be awesome…I can use all the hands I can get!”
He responded with “Minda….no, I want to pay to have some movers come and take care of it FOR you so that you don’t have to do it. I want to be as stress-free of a move for you as possible.”

Insert Silence….

I finally spoke and all I could say was “You have got to be kidding.”

He assured me that he’d been thinking about it and really felt as though this was something he wanted to do.

Let me back up a little bit for you to earlier in the day.

I was driving to Arlington to deliver some cake pops for a graduation party when I was kind of laying some things out for the Lord. Telling Him how frustrated I was about having to move…Telling Him that I really didn’t appreciate THIS part of singleness…..the roommate after roommate after roommate…. And in addition- laid out a couple other things for him. I said to Him “I just wish I didn’t have to bother my friends! I wish I was strong enough to do this on my own!”

Not even 4 hours later is when I got the phone call from my friend offering to pay for movers.

To the friend (you know who you are) that responded on Twitter- your willingness to help out was an answered prayer from just a few hours prior.

To the friend that covered the expenses of movers coming and taking care of my move (you know who you are)…. You made this the best move I’ve had in 9 years. Words won’t ever express to you how much of an answered prayer you were.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Dear Sixteen Year Old Minda

2011-05-26T13:24:00.000-05:00

Saw this site posted today in which celebrities wrote letters to their 16-year-old- self.

Made me start thinking what..and honestly...IF i would tell my 16 year old self anything about life at my age now.

Here's my letter:

Dear 16-Year-Old-Minda,

It's me!...I mean...you!....of sorts. From the future.

Here are some things you need to know:

1.) You are beautiful. Really. You are. Start learning to accept this. Because if you don't accept it- you will be consumed with trying to make yourself beautiful. Learn it now. Don't waste your life trying to make yourself appear beautiful.

2.) High School is almost over. Really. It is. Just smile and get through it. College will be SO much better.

3.) Contrary to what Mrs. Breedlove tells you- you honestly have NO reason to learn calculus. Promise.

4.) Your mom and dad are your best support system. Stop looking elsewhere for it.

5.) Did I mention you are beautiful? You are. :-)

6.) You really are an awesome kid. Just keep on keepin on.

7.) I know you want me to tell you the future in regards to boyfriends/husband etc. But I can't. I won't. It's better that you don't know. And now I fully understand why it's better to NOT know some things. So trust me(...you.)

8.) Keep loving Jesus. He's good. He's faithful. You'll see. He's gonna come through for you in so many ways.

9.) And lastly....You are beautiful.

Love,

The older, wiser, and more mature YOU.

May 12th was NOT the right answer

2011-05-25T09:28:00.000-05:00

Ten years ago (groan) I was a Junior in High School preparing to attend my very first prom.

In addition- not only was I going to attend- but it is tradition that the Juniors HOST the prom. So I was on the Prom planning committee. This is a very important piece of information that I will use in my defense later. Make note :-)

Talk of prom was echoing through every hallway....ok, so maybe we only had 2 hallways at my school...but still.. Everyone was talking and planning.

One morning I was on my way into my AP English class (did I really need to specify that it was an AP course? No. Just trying to impress you.)...ANYWAY. Was walking into my class when I was stopped in the hallway.

Please picture this with me. Door to classroom is open. One foot in. One foot out. I've turned to the guy who said "Minda!"

I turn and said "what's up?"

He said...."Do you have a date for prom?"

Without missing a beat, I said "Yeah, it's May 12."

As soon as the words were out of my mouth- a awkward look came across his face and I just stared......Then I head laughing coming from inside the classroom.

And then I realized what had just happened.

The guy laughed....turned away....and walked off.

I, then, had to turn and face my classmates.

For someone who is on the planning committee- that was a normal response, right?!?!?!? ;-)

Here's to 10 years of learning to embrace my ignorance in regards to dating/being asked out/the like. ...Oh and here's to 10 years since having Country Music Award styled hair.

Brother-In-Law

2011-05-20T11:47:00.002-05:00

In less than a month- the Texas Corso's will be gaining a family member.

I'm more than excited.

Cake pops have been featured!!

2011-05-17T16:18:00.002-05:00

My friend Izehi came over 2 weeks ago to do a little photo shoot with my cake pops!!! Check out her blog post and leave some love!!! You will even have the chance to win some!!! :-)

http://www.izehiphotography.com/blog/?p=1702

an iced coffee, a new job, and a side of crazy please!

2011-05-11T10:41:00.000-05:00

Exactly ONE YEAR ago today- I started a new job.

I didn't sleep at all the night before- yet still got up at 5am to go to the gym. I knew that no matter what- even with no sleep- I'd still feel better if I worked out. After my work out- I got ready- grabbed my purse, bible, and journal- and headed to a new Starbucks closer to the new job- and planned to sit and read/journal for an hour before I needed to be at work.

I ordered my iced coffee and found a comfy seat. For the first 5 minutes of sitting- I observed, watched, and got a feel for the Starbucks that could possibly be the location of my quiet time for the next season of my life.

While drinking my iced coffee (have I mentioned before that I LOVE iced coffee?) - I wrote this sentence in my journal:

"Today. I start a new job. "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you!" Psalm 116:7

What a year it has been. The Lord HAS been good to me. This time last year- I was preparing to move into a new apartment- as my current roommate was about to be married. This year- I'm preparing to move into a new residence as my current roommate is about to be married. :-)

What a rich year it has been. Grateful for where I am today.

Today- I wrote in my journal:

"Today marks one year at my 'new' job. "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you!" Psalm 116:7"

Cake Pops

2011-05-03T09:45:00.000-05:00

Baby showers....Wedding showers....Weddings...Birthday Parties....

These are events that will take place- NO MATTER what stage of life you are in. We all know people having babies, having birthdays, and getting hitched! :-)

So. With that said- I'd love to offer my services to you to help make those events a bit more fun....And original. :-)

I've been making Cake Pops for about two years now and have mastered the art of cake popping! :-) I've done cake pops for several weddings and multiple other events. If you'd like to order cake pops for your event- email me and I can give you pricing information.

In addition- if you've EATEN a cake pop of mine or had them for an event- leave some love in the comments as a referral :-) Gracias!

Here are a few pictures of different cake pops I've done.

The Princess Bride

2011-04-30T14:48:00.000-05:00

"A dream is a wish your heart makes...When you're fast asleep. In dreams you will lose your heartaches- whatever you wish for you keep. Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling through- No matter how your heart is grieving if you keep on believing- The dream that you wish will come true."

I grew up believing those lyrics.

For those of us that were born in the 80's- I consider us the 'princess' generation. When we were little girls- we were introduced to new characters. Ariel, from the Little Mermaid, came into existence when I was 5 years old. Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, when I was 7 years old. Jasmine, from Aladdin, when I was 8 years old. Pocahontas and Mulan followed a couple years later.

This past week- with the Royal Wedding of Kate and Prince William- I've heard SO many people lash out with negative comments about the Royal Wedding. Asking why it's such a big deal...saying that there are more important things happening in the news...etc.

First of all. Why is it such a big deal? Because Kate Middleton is the first person I've ever seen that is TRULY experiencing the dream that had been in my heart for over 20 years. A common girl. Winning the heart of the handsome Prince. Having the wedding of the century. Wearing a TRUE princess wedding dress. With royalty in attendance.

In the Disney movies- we see the story of how they meet/fall in love- and the story ends with a kiss and the dream of the wedding to be. Friends- I finally got to SEE the wedding. Not only was I watching the wedding of Prince William and Kate...I was watching the wedding of Ariel...of Belle....of Jasmine. I KNOW this must sound corny to some of you- but you have no idea. It TRULY has always just been a dream. We've never seen it lived out.

I was having dinner with my friend the night before the wedding and I was telling her what I had envisioned the dress would be. It was the biggest kept secret of the wedding....No one was going to know what the dress looked like until she stepped out at Westminster Abbey. I described to Stephanie what I thought it would look like....The princess dress I've always envisioned.

I kid you not. The dress was EXACTLY as imagined it would be. The sleeves...the lace. Exactly.

Yes. There are MANY terrible things happening in the world. Earthquakes, tsunamis, and most recently- devastating tornadoes that swept across the South part of the US taking the lives of more than 300 people. Devastating.

To be honest with you- My heart NEEDED some fun news like a royal wedding. I'm SOOO saddened every time I turn on the news. While I'm not ignoring the fact that devastating events had just taken place- I'm saying that the Royal Wedding was good timing for my heart. It was nice to turn on the TV and see excitement.

For the princess dream that has lived inside of my heart for 22 years....It was satisfied this weekend.

"....for the dream that you wish....will. come. true."

A Mile Marker

2011-04-27T11:04:00.000-05:00

A year ago today....I was wrapping up my last week at my old job.

I'd turned in my 2-weeks notice on April 16, 2010- And completed my 3 years of work at that location on April 30th.

During my last week- my coworkers sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers...They threw an AMAZING luncheon...We had a 'pool' party...They knew EXACTLY how to make me feel celebrated.

I left feeling loved and appreciated.

The following 11 days- I had a chance to rest- travel- and get a little vacation time.

I went to visit my sister, Lisa, in Phoenix as she had just moved into her new house.

The point of this blog post....

Well. Maybe not a point. But April 16 is a date in my life that I will always look back on and remember the faithfulness of God. This week- of April 30th- will be a reminder to me of the faithfulness of God. A mile marker.

I've walked with the Lord for a long time. This past year of my life has been one of my favorite years with Him.

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men." Psalm 107 (verse 8, 15, 21, and 31) ...all four verses say the same thing! :-) I will give thanks!

Right Hand (VOTD)

2011-04-20T10:52:00.000-05:00

In Psalm 44- they've just said "Lord...we know all the things you did for our Fathers..."

Verse 3:

"It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring victory; it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, for you loved them."

Let's be mindful today of where our victory comes from. It might seem like we did the right things, but it is HIS hand that stretched forth and acted on our behalf.

Chivalry is NOT dead! (Who's Chivalry!?!)

2011-04-17T12:01:00.000-05:00

Most of my life has been spent around females.

I had 2 sisters.

My 1st year of college I lived on a hall with 50 girls.

My 2nd year of college, I was an RA to a hall full of 50 girls.

I served in the high school ministry for a group of high school girls.

I've learned to live with about 15 different girls over the past 27 years.

To say that I know very little about the male species would be an understatement.

To say that I know a LOT about females. Well. Yeah. That would be true. Not saying that I'm an expert....but just saying that I've gathered a LOT of information.

I'm pretty good at reading females, honestly. I can walk in a room full of people....and if you give me about 10 minutes- I can tell you which girls in the room have crushes on which guys.

Now- walking into a room and being able to decipher which guy likes which girl? Eh- I'm not AS good at that.

I say all that to say.....I'm just used to being around females.

And. When females hang out together- when we travel together- when we go out together....a girl is on her own. She opens her own door. She drives herself. She carries her own luggage. She lugs her own groceries up the stairs. Following me?

So. At the age of 27- When someone of the male species asks to open my door for me...carry a bag of mine...or anything of the like....I have to say-Not only is it surprising to me....But it is a FABULOUS treat. To hear someone say "Let me get that for you."

But. quite honestly- because I'm so used to having to do those things on my own day in and out- my response most often is surprise- followed by "no it's ok I can get it."

Not because I'm on a power trip/feminist and think "I can do it on my own"...but because I'm just so used to doing it and I'm taken by such surprise that it almost flusters me and I just try to cover my 'flustered-ness' and just do it myself.

Well. That brings me to this week.

On Friday I posted and wrote about how the day before- I'd been telling the Lord that while He might be asking me to trust Him in a 'particular area'- my response was "I don't know HOW to trust you in that area. How do I do it?!?!"

I wrote about the shield of faith and how the Lord had just let me know "You don't have to worry about holding the shield...I'll hold it in place for you....I'll actually BE the shield."

So. I've got this 'shield' that I've been lugging around for a LONG time. I've not been able to hold it it place- cause it was too heavy for me. I didn't know HOW to hold it in place. But I've been carrying it around because I know I'm supposed to use it! But it's just been a hassle for me to carry around. And starting on Thursday morning- each time my mind would start to wander...start fretting....start worrying about 'this particular area' I thought- eh. I can't lift the shield. But. EACH TIME- I heard a soft whisper say "Let me get that for you, Minda."

And while most often when I hear those words I'm used to saying "nah, it's ok- I got it..." I've never been more happy to hand it over to Him. Between Thursday and Friday- I probably heard Him whisper that to me a total of 25-30 times...."Let me get that for you, Minda."

Each time- my mind immediately was at rest. No tug of war over handing it over. No debate. I've just gladly handed it over and said to him "whew! That was too heavy for me."

My question of "HOW do I trust you in this area, Lord?!?" has been answered with this:

"Let me get that for you, Minda."

VOTD (verse of the day)

2011-04-15T08:34:00.000-05:00

Thinking a lot about the shield of faith as of late & how there are areas of my heart in which I hold that sucker high & in place! But other areas-I don't trust the Lord. My shield is down. Was asking the Lord this morning "how do I just pick it up? I don't know HOW to trust You in this certain area."

Psalm-18:30 "As for God, his way is perfect-the word of the Lord is flawless. He's a shield for all who take refuge in him."

We don't have to worry about that shield today. He will hold it in place for us. HE will be the shield.

Facebook comments...

2011-04-14T13:49:00.000-05:00

At work today I was responding to a comment that someone had made on our facebook page. They mentioned a phrase that I used MANY times when I was younger.

Anyone else heard this? "The bible tells me I have to love them but I SURE don't have to like 'em!!"

Anyone?

Well. I can't tell you how many times I used that phrase. When I was younger- man- that was my fall back line if there was ever someone that I didn't care for. Ugh.

Let's be honest. It's much easier to love our family. Because they are our family. And they will always be around. Ya know? But if there was ever a friend or acquaintance I didn't care for- I didn't ever learn to love them- I just learned to avoid them! :-) And in turn- it made 'loving' them SO much easier. ;-)

And finally. The Lord said "enough of that. I want to teach you how to love someone for REAL. I want to teach you how to love someone that has hurt you. I want to teach you how to love someone that has let you down. I want to teach you how to love someone that you can't avoid. I want to teach you to love.....like I do."

And He taught me in August of 2009. You can read about that here.

The interesting thing is...Until August of 2009....I don't think I ever really grasped how great God's love for ME was.

That brings me back to the facebook comment I responded to.

I responded on Facebook with this: "Yes....We are called to love. And when we walk through the difficult process of loving someone...it makes Christs' love for us all the more amazing".... because we know that loving someone is not easy.

After I wrote that- I had to sit and think about that for a while. It just struck me how crazy it is how GOOD of a God I serve. Because I'm sure that there are times in which the Lord says "daaaaaang girl. You are being DIFFICULT." But He still loves me. And never gets tired of loving me.

And it wasn't until the Lord taught me to truly like someone that I didn't really want to like that enabled me to catch a GLIMPSE of His love for me.
Does that make sense? Who knows. I'm still thinking about it.

Comments welcome :-)

Target Practice

2011-04-11T09:41:00.000-05:00

Was listening to Beth Moore teach last week and there was a message that spoke to me....and I want to try and relay that message here. Hang with me. If you can capture this as I did- I know it will encourage you.

So. Here goes.

If there is an area of my life in which I'm not trusting the Lord...and area that always seems to be my area of struggle...that means my 'shield of faith' is down. If it were up- I'd be trusting.

Right? Let me explain further.

There are areas in which I trust in the Lord. BIG time. Areas in which I have no doubt. For instance. I hold my shield of faith high and firm in the area of provision. The Lord has proved over and over to me that He WILL provide for THIS baby girl of His. My faith is high in this area. (ps. if this is an area in which you do not have much faith- let me know. I'd love to share MY portion of faith with you and believe with you for provision!)

Or in the area of healing. I've written about this area before. The Lord has proved Himself MANY times in my life to be my healer. So when sickness comes...I don't freak out. I don't fall apart. My shield of faith- again- is in position. Held high.

But. There are areas in my life in which my ability to trust the Lord is NOT so great. Ok- let's be honest. There are some areas in which I just fall apart. It's the area of my life that takes up most of my brain for a good portion of the day. I'm constantly thinking/worrying/wondering about this area.

Beth explained it like a balloon with a hole in it. An area of your head that just spews....with vain imaginations....with anxieties....with every kind of worry, every kind of fear, every kind of insecurity. Your mind just spews.

Following me here?

If you've been a Christian for any length of time- we all have areas in which we've learned to trust God.
But there are those areas that we're still learning.

Ok. So. If my shield of faith is down- then that area is an open target for the enemy to shoot his darts. Right? Shield is not in place- open target.

Therefore- making it all the more hard to trust God in that area. Because it's an area in which Satan has free range to shoot and hit.

And when he shoots targets of worry, fear, anxiety....we continue in the cycle. Of not being able to Trust God. And when we've been hit- we think that God did not come through for us.

We have let ourselves believe deep down in our heart that God is NOT going to be faithful to us in that area. That we will just have to carry around that load of worry and anxiety. Because we believe that He's not gonna do it.

When I heard Beth teaching- I knew IMMEDIATELY what my 'thing' was. I knew the area in which I don't trust Him. I VERY quickly found the area of 'spewing'.

And what's interesting- is that when Satan is messing with me.....he's only THREATENING me. It's not even a reality. It's a threat. And an empty one at that.

I've located my area of 'spewing' and I realize where my 'shield' has been down. Friends- I'm EXHAUSTED from carrying the anxiety and worry. It's time to lift my my shield in THAT area because the moment I do- Satan can shoot all he wants but it will not penetrate to the deepest part of my being. The spewing will stop. And believe me- A shield of faith is easier to carry than a load of crap that the devil throws my way.

;alskdfja;sdlkfj;!

2011-04-10T21:30:00.000-05:00

How do you like THAT title?!?!
A couple of months ago- I was taking a class and someone mentioned the process of titling a blog post. They said that the title needs to be attention grabbing or you will be doing your post a disservice.

Well let me admit. I've pretty much done ALL of my blog posts a huge disservice. Except for one....titled "Ridin Dirty"...and I actually got a couple of texts and messages from people saying "We think you've been spammed!!!'

No....I really DID intend to title the blog post just that... And evidently it's true what the teacher of my class said. That was the one that caught all the attention.

In addition- ever since then- blogging has been a bit difficult for me because I get stumped with titling my blog......Ugh. Trying to come up with something witty/clever is exhausting.

Being clever on twitter/facebook? Not exhausting. Natural ;-)

But with my blog post titles.....exhausting.

Now. with that said...I'm sure I've lost your attention and any time I spend NOW trying to come up with a title will be lost because you will have read all that junk I just wrote and zone out.

For those of you are sticking with me so far.....well. bad news is- I don't really have anything all that exciting to say. (which then is making me even wonder why I'm blogging....SHEEEESH!!!)

I'm exhausting myself.

But. All that to say- This weekend was the women's conference at Gateway there were SO many amazing messages brought that I need another 2 weeks to process them all. So much going on in my brain and so many things I feel are changing that the thought of blogging about them seems almost impossible at this point.

Hopefully in the next month or so I'll start sharing some of the things that stuck out to me!

In the meantime- I'm going to bed with freshly washed sheets, iced coffee made and ready for the morning, and my computer is being shut.

Gooooodnight.

timeline

2011-04-05T08:45:00.000-05:00

May 1- Roommate moves out!
May 6- Josh and Ali get marrrried!!!
May 12- Brooke and Brad get married!!!
May 14th- Roommate's gettin married!!!
June 1- Minda moves out and gets ANOTHER new roommate
June 15- Minda heads to California....(for her FIRST TIME!)
June 17- SISTER GETS MARRRRIED!
July 14- Minda heads to Seattle
July 16- cousin gets married!!!

all in 3 days?!?!

2011-04-04T09:15:00.000-05:00

We're only on day 4 of April and already I've made 200 cake pops, purchased a bridesmaid dress for my sister's wedding in June, attended an AMAZING wedding, danced til my feet got blisters, and created an entire scrapbook!

Hellloooo productivity!

I made cake pops for Court and Lauryn's wedding and I had two flavors....Oreo and Red Velvet. Yum!

Goodbye, March!

2011-03-31T10:40:00.000-05:00

I originally started out this blog entry by talking about how crazy it is that March is already gone....and then I erased it and started over, thinking to myself "I don't wanna be one of THOSE people that always talk about how fast time goes..."

But then.....I guess by even TELLING you that whole process- I still started out my blog the same way. Oh well. Here's to a good month.....

Let's start off, instead, with the facts:

I hate allergies
I REALLY hate allergies
For the past 4 years- this time of year (end of March) I get slammed with allergies that takes me out.
No, really!
'takes me out' as in- I can't move. I can't get out of bed. I can't do anything!
That was yesterday.
Today- I am realizing how I should have stayed in bed.
Also. I need to update my medicine box.
I took two benadryl last night that expired in 2005.
Yes. You read that right.
Yes, i TYPED that right.
2005
Soooo. The good news is- I didn't die!
The better news is: IT WORKED
This morning I woke up and was able to breathe!
(Yesterday- this was NOT the case
Sooo....because I could breathe- I felt it would be good for me to come to work.
Again, wrong.
Alas (yes, I said alas. And yes. I know it's the 21st century) I'm here....and suffering.

How's THAT for some bullet points?!? ;-)

In other news, I'm in the process of converting my blog into book form.....

I just submitted all of my 2008 blog entries and should be getting the book this next week. If it looks good- I'll do a book for 2009, a book for 2010 as well.

I'll keep ya posted on this :-)

morning cup of Minda

2011-03-19T12:12:00.000-05:00

When I was in college- I lived and worked on campus for my first 2 years. Because the dorms were not only where I lived but worked (I was an RA...more on this later!)- the hall directors encouraged us to find places off campus to study so that we could get away from our place of 'work.'

Starbucks became that place for me in my 2nd year of college. The Fielder/Randol Mill location was the perfect place for me to study. Great comfy chairs- a fun team of baristas....it worked!
One day towards the end of my 2nd year of college- I'd been studying at Starbucks and the manager of that location, Danny, and I'd been talking. He said in passing "Whenever you want a green apron- I've got one for you in the back!" I smiled and thanked him- telling him that one day I'd love to work there!

At the end of that semester- I headed off to Pine Cove for my 2nd summer of being a camp counselor and also left behind LOTS of decision to be made. Where to live....where to work....(as I was not returning to UTA) for the next semester.

The team that was created while working at Starbucks was amazing. We had SO much fun. That was really my first (possibly only) job that even AFTER work- we all still hung out. We wanted to go grab a movie...have dinner..with each other!

I read an article this morning about "things your barista won't tell you."

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/13-things-baristas-won-t-tell-you-2463942/

Check it out. It's a great article! And SOOOO true.

It made me start to think about things I never told my customers....but wanted to SO badly!
So here's MY list:

-when people say "ahhhh I need coffee soooo bad" and then proceed to get a latte.....I want to say 'you didn't need coffee. You needed milk. Yes. There is caffeine in a latte- but 98% of the drink you have just ordered is MILK. And unless you specified otherwise- it's WHOLE milk.

-If you are ordering a venti caramel frappuccino with extra caramel- and proceed to tell me that I'd not added enough caramel for your liking....you have got issues. SERIOUS ones. The amount of sugar you are about to consume is ungodly and you might want to take a break on the drinks.

-If you say 'no foam' on your drink.....I PROMISE YOU! I scooped off all the foam. I did not secretly want to add foam to your drink to frustrate you. When I hand you your drink- there has been enough time for a TINY layer of foam to form on the top of your drink. Please do NOT tell me I forgot to scrape off your foam. If I had forgotten- there would have been a LOT MORE FOAM on that sucker.

-It's ok to tell your barista that your drink does not taste right. If you do so in a nice tone. We will gladly remake it for you! Don't drive away unhappy with your beverage. Let them know- and do it nicely. They won't charge you again- and you can get a drink that suits your liking.

......so after I'd been working at Starbucks for about 2 years- one of our regular morning customers, Mike (6:30am....black coffee in a personal to-go cup....every morning M-F) came in on a Saturday and sat down to read the paper with his coffee. I was wiping down a table and he stopped me and said "soooo Minda. You like working here?" I said "of course.....a great job."

He proceeded to ask me about my plans after Starbucks....and if I'd be interested in working at his bank. I already had a good job that I liked (and told him so) and he said "Well, I'll pay you more." We kind of laughed about it- and went on. A couple weeks later- I asked him about a job- never even had to apply....Just went it- got set up- and was sent to 2 weeks of training to be a bank teller.

That's my Starbucks experience :-)

Cow Pasture in a dress.

2011-03-18T16:02:00.000-05:00

welp. I had a birthday.

I had dinner with mom and dad the night before my birthday, as they were flying out the next day for Washington DC!

On the day of my acutal birthday....I made myself my own pancakes:

And then spent the morning out in a cow pasture filming for a commercial. Yup. A cow pasture. In a dress. On a very windy day.

How's that for turning 27?!?

ridin dirty

2011-03-15T09:54:00.001-05:00

I know, I know. That is a horrible title for a blog post. :-)

BUT! I felt it appropriate considering that I truly HAVE been driving a VERY dirty car around since the ice storm back in January/February. Since the ice storm- almost every day has had a period of time in which the clouds would cover the sky- grey and ominous and I'd think- eh- it's about to rain....so I won't wash my car yet.

7 weeks later- I'd still not washed my car and it was pathetic.

I finally took it yesterday though a car wash and then parked outside of Target as I had to run in and get a few things.

When I came outside- I couldn't find my car.

I looked, looked, and looked some more and could not find it. I pulled out my keys and hit the button to unlock it- also signaling a beep and lights flashing. I kid you not. I was standing RIGHT NEXT to my car. I KNEW where I had parked. But I did not recognize my car. '...then I came to my senses....'

How pathetic.

But here it comes....you know it's coming. The Cheezy Minda Analogy. Let's face it. You know the only reason you come and read this blog (to my 4 readers) is because there will most likely be a cheezy analogy...and you can laugh! So wait no more. Here it is!

Matthew 15:17 "....when he came to his senses, he said 'how many of my fathers hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."

Now. I know this analogy is a stretch- but I thought about this son. (hang with me!) He was filthy. He was LIVING in filth. With pigs. He was covered in filth. So much so that he just thought it was normal.

but that phrase....'when he came to his senses..."

Yesterday- I just was so fed up with how filthy my car was and got up and did something about it.

So often- when we are living in filth- we don't even realize that it's filth. We just accept it for what it is.

I know for sure there are areas of my heart that have been covered in filth....And I've just been living with it because it's easy. But this year. I'm praying for moments in which I 'come to my senses...' and get up and deal with areas of my heart that need to be cleaned up.

I'm SOOOOO far from perfect. But the good news is- there is only one thing required of me. That is to get up.....come to my senses....ADMIT there is filth...and take it to the ONLY Place that can make it clean.

This morning- the drive was absolutely incredible. I think I looked at my side mirrors more than I did the road. I was so amazed at how clean they were. How shiny everything was. All I could think was "I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS THAT DIRTY!"

So I drove to work with a smile on my face.

He makes all things new.

He can make time stand still

2011-03-11T13:09:00.000-06:00

This has been an interesting month.

I have been praying for a BIG prayer request since January. Felt as though the Lord told me to pray specifics and to pray big. So I have been.

Over the past 4 weeks- I've been struggling with the difference between asking the Lord for something because His Word SAYS to ask Him of things....and then asking things as though I've just received a magic lamp with a genie inside. You know?

But here's the deal. Obviously- we can ask the Lord for something- and it not happen- or we don't get what we ask for. And 99% of every time this has happened to me- I look back and am SO grateful that the Lord did not give me what I asked for. Realllly grateful!
So. As I've been praying- the thoughts have crept in..."you asked something too big, Minda.....That's not gonna happen. He can't do THAT. There are too many factors that come into play when you ask something like that. You're crazy. Prepare to be disappointed...."

And when I say the thoughts crept in....I mean....they were CONSTANT! All the TIME! So.

In my quiet time this past month- I found it fitting that the Lord would direct me to the passage in Joshua in which Joshua is about to go into battle and they need more time. Joshua prays "O Sun, stand still over Gibeon, O Moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.".....the next verse: "SO THE SUN STOOD STILL, and the MOON STOPPED, til the nations avenged itself on its enemies.....the SUN STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SKY AND DELAYED GOING DOWN ABOUT A FULL DAY!....There has never been a day like it before..."

Can we talk about a BIG prayer?!?!? Seriously? The factors that would come into play with a prayer like THAT?!?!? The people all over the EARTH that would be affected by a prayer like that? By NATURE stopping it's course because a man prayed?

Yeah. Who am I to limit God?

So. I'm praying big. And I'll continue to pray big. Because I know He's answered big prayers in the past and in the present. And I know He will continue to do the same thing in my future.

taking off....

2011-03-06T18:15:00.000-06:00

I've got lots on my mind.

A lot of change about to happen.

Lots of decisions to be made.

I've found myself here the past 2 Sunday's:

Watching these:

Being here helps me to be still and know that He is God.

As I walked into Walmart a little later this afternoon- the only thought I had was "Lord- in regards to provision for me- You have never given me a resason to doubt that you will take care of me. Never. So I will not doubt you now. I will remember previous times in which You have provided and think of how faithful You are rather than let myself get stressed out."

He is good.

They call me "Melinda"

2011-02-27T10:01:00.000-06:00

August 2002. Freshman year of college. First week. Orientation. Arlington, TX.

I'm introducing myself to everyone and anyone.

The conversations that first week went like this:

Me: "Hi! My name is Minda."

Them: "Wait what?"

Me: "Minda...you know. Linda with an M"

Them: "oooh Minda."

Me: Yeah.

Them: "Awesome. Hi. Fun name. Nice to meet you."

About halfway into this week of orientation where you are meeting everyone- I got tired of that conversation. Minda was not familiar. No one knew what I was saying. So I said "to heck with this. I'll just go by Melinda.(my official 1st name)"

This lasted for one day. "Melinda" just didn't 'fit'....you know?

But. During that one day of giving up on the name Minda- I met a girl who would be a part of my life in a big way! And would introduce me to OTHER people as "Melinda."

So. I have 2 friends that call me "Melinda."

And they argue when I try to tell them to call me Minda. They say "You introduced yourself to us as Melinda so that's yo name, woman!"

The friendship I have with these 2 girls is beyond anything I could have ever hoped for. There are not a ton of people that I keep in close contact with that I met at UTA. But these 2 girls are for sure a huge part of my life today.

Meet Leticia!

This gorgeous lady I saw in my history class. We'd met- and every time I saw her- she had this exact same HUGE smile on her face. Stunning, right??? Well- About 8 weeks into my 1st semester- My roommate had to make an emergency exit from our dorm- leaving me with no roommate for a week. I got a call from the front office telling me they were on my way up with the new girl. I heard a knock on my door and looked out the peep hole to see THIS smile. I was like "whaaaaa?!?!?"

So. We lived together for the remainder of the year and I love this girl like crazy. Leticia ended up finishing her last 2 years of college in Austin at UT and one would think that changing schools would alter a friendship. But nope. Not with Leticia. To this day- we are still friends and probably closer friends than we've ever been....despite her living in NEW YORK now!!! :-)

Meet Jaclyn!

This lady. Oooooh man. This lady. Can't you just even tell from this picture that she seems like she'd be awesome to hang out with? Yes.....yes she is. :-) Jaclyn and I met that one day of orientation and have been friends ever since. Who wouldn't want to be friends with her?? So many inside jokes....So many memories. Jaclyn is actually the first person to introduce me to Beth Moore. Yup. That's right. I did my first Beth Moore bible study with her! :-)

Jaclyn still lives in the DFW area and teaches high school. Her kids are the luckiest students! I love that no matter what- however often or seldom we see each other- we can pick right up and feel as though no time has gone by. We have history. I love having history with friends. Good history :-)

9 Years I've known these ladies. NINE. :-) These will be girls that I'm sure I'll call when I'm 40 and tired of my kids and want to get away for a weekend. These are the girls that I know will slap a girl back into reality and hold me accountable. These are girls that I can talk to when I need a good cry/vent/or laugh.

These are my girls....And they call me 'Melinda.'

"I'm AWESOME!"

2011-02-24T13:42:00.000-06:00

How's THAT for a humble title?? :-)

Last week I took a test called Strength Finders for a class I'm taking at Gateway. We were to take the test- and then the plan was to come back to class the next week and talk about our #1 strength.

Are any of you familiar with this? If so- and you've taken the test- I'd love for you to comment on this post and tell me what your top 5 are!!! If you are not- go HERE and find out how to compile your strengths. You will not regret doing this.

I'll tell you my top 5- and then I'll tell you what my first thought was.

Responsibility
Woo (Winning Others Over
Empathy
Communication
Maximizer

So. Here's the deal. When I first read them- I thought to myself- ok, this makes sense. But how are these things STRENGTHS??

With each of them- I knew immediately how each of them could be a BAD thing. I didn't want to get up in front of the class and tell them why my strengths were indeed, BAD things. This is a perfect example of just how smart Satan is. He takes our strengths, and twists them around so that we are not operating in the full extent and ability of our strengths.

So while I was thinking about them and discussing them with a dear friend, Jan, she was telling me some things about these particular strengths and why they were good- and all of a sudden-I broke into a huge grin and declared "MAN! I'm AWESOME!!!"

Now. You may think to yourself- "geeez! humility's not in your top 5 for a reason!" But let me tell you. When there are parts of WHO YOU ARE- and you've always seen them as bad things- to have someone tell you why they are GOOD things- that is FREEDOM.

Some of these things- I'd never seen them as strengths before. Is that weird?!?

Responsibility is my number 1 strength and here is the description:

People who are especially talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty. Driven by your talents, you likely are described by your teammates as someone who keeps promises. People trust you so much they do not keep checking on your progress. They probably have discovered over time that you honor your commitments. Because of your strengths, you consistently work at assignments and chores to their conclusion. People have confidence that you will see whatever you do through to the very end. By nature, you prepare for assignments by reading extensively. Your capacity for pulling together information from books, publications, correspondence, notes, or Internet sites serves you well. Instinctively, you bring an exceptionally mature perspective to your team. Most people regard you as the dependable and reliable one.

Yes. Yes. and YES! There is no denying that this is my #1 Strength.

A very boring blog post:

2011-02-10T15:45:00.000-06:00

I need a manicure, like something crazy!

Back in December- I had fake nails put on for a wedding.

BIG MISTAKE.

I LOVE how the nails look when they are done- but when they come off- I always forget how long it takes for my REAL nails to get back to normal.

And here we are in February and they are STILL not normal. I've got probably one more week before the destroyed nail beds will have grown out.

So. until then- I've got short stubby fingernails and they are NOT pretty.

The end.

96 and Pregnant

2011-02-08T10:38:00.001-06:00

Was reading in Joshua this past week and I might be tempted to say that it is one of my favorite books of the Bible.

And speaking of favorite books of the Bible....I might just have to admit to you all that the Old Testament is my favorite.

Really. I think it is. It's filled with stories of people that I feel as though I can relate to. I mean- can't YOU relate to a man who had to spend 400 years building an ark? Can't YOU relate to a woman being 96 years old and being pregnant for the first time? ;-)

Ha.....no. Their circumstances are not what I can relate to- but I feel as though I can relate to them a little bit better than with people in the New Testament. The people in the New Testament- they walked and talked with Jesus...in the PHYSICAL. They saw Him. The people of the Old Testament believed God and His promises....without ever having met Him in the physical. You know? God may not have appeared to me in a burning bush- but He appeared to me in a REALLY awesome job situation last year. He may not have appeared to me in a cloud....But He's appeared to me in so many quiet moments in my apartment-on my couch- with my coffee in hand.

John 20:29- Jesus is talking to Thomas (the 'doubter'....and ps! can we talk about how depressing that would be to be remembered that way?!) "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

That is you and me, my friend. We have believed without ever PHYSICALLY seeing the scars in His hands.

Ok. So i totally bunny trailed there- but here goes.

Reading in Joshua.

Several times in the book of Joshua (and in the Old Testament in general)- I saw instances of people marking a certain location with a pile of stones. They always made note that "the stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel." This would typically be a place in which they'd seen God show up in a BIG way for them. They wanted to remember.

Ok- so move with me a little bit to the New Testament.
The book of Luke. Chapter 19 (ok, ok, we moved a LOT- but still)

Verse 28-40- Jesus is about to make His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. A crowd of disciples begin praising God in loud voices saying "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna"

Some of the Pharisees said to Jesus "Tell them to be quiet!!!"

Jesus said to them "If they keep quiet- the stones will cry out."

Ok. Coming full circle here. As I was reading in Joshua about all the stone memorials. I thought of this passage in Luke. If we keep quiet...the stones will cry out.

The stones that are left to mark His faithfulness. The stones that are left to remind us of His goodness. The stones that were left to help the people of Israel NEVER forget what God had done.

Friends. Can you imagine? I kinda feel as though my journals are my 'stones' so to speak. They recount time after time after time that God has proved faithful to me. They are my 'markers.' My memorials.

If I'm not sharing of His faithfulness- my journals could very well come to life and start shouting of His faithfulness.

Are you sharing of His faithfulness? Has He been faithful to you? It's time we start shouting about it.

pray....?

2011-02-04T13:34:00.000-06:00

Reading from a Beth Moore book today and this clip just jumped off the page. Because I could have very well written it myself. I know for SURE that I've thought the same things. Beth goes on to talk about the maturing of her prayer life- and I'm not there yet. But I'm getting there.

I love hearing that I'm not alone in my walk....that other people struggle with things similar to me.

It makes me feel.....not alone.

On a scale of 1-10 based on the sense of God's presence and apparent response, I could have rated my prayer life a pitiful two. Don't misunderstand me, I prayed all the usuall prayers, but my ordinary mode of operation was to pray things that looked like they were probably going to turn out anyways. Can anyone else relate? Then God began calling me out of my unbelief.

My prayer life changed and matured gradually through the years as I sought God through His Word, but something dramatic happened that suddenly pitched it forward. I hate to admit it, but it came out of a sense in prayer on day that, frankly, God was bored with my prayer life. I sensed God saying, "My child, you believe Me for so little. Don't be so safe in the things you pray. Who are you trying to keep from looking foolish? Me or you?" You see, sometimes I decided that I'd rather not ask certain things than risk a no. I reasoned that God was sovereign and I'd simply let Him do what He wanted. In reality, I was terrified that God or I would let me down and shake what little faith I'd had.

Update

2011-02-02T19:04:00.000-06:00

Have you checked out our update videos??

Here you go :-)

First Page In New Journal

2011-02-01T13:42:00.000-06:00

I will RARELY share in my blog things that I've written in my journal....But here's my first page of my new journal.

Hello February

2011-02-01T09:45:00.000-06:00

Nice for you to FINALLY get here.....and you brought along some fun weather too!!! That's exciting!

And what does Minda do when she has a snow day? She makes coffee, makes homemade blueberry muffins, and settles in on the couch with her computer, a load of books, and starts to work from home! Yipppeee!

Also- today begins a new journal. So many empty pages. My heart kind of aches when I think about what is to come in this next season. (I kinda consider my life in seasons by my journals.). So here's to a new season. Is it weird that I kinda want to cry just thinking about all that the LORD will do over the next several months? He is good. This I know. I know that this journal will, like all the others, be filled with stories of His faithfulness.

STAMP!

2011-01-28T09:15:00.000-06:00

Gooood Morning!

First of all. 3 great things.

1.) It's FRIDAY
2.) It's Jean day at work
3.) It's PAY DAY!

Those 3 things will keep a smile on my face today!
But. For the real reason of this post.

Item number 1 up for my 'STAMP' of approval.

Don't get me wrong. I love Starbucks. And I'm COMMITTED to Starbucks ;-)

But every once in a while- a girl needs a cup of 'darn good coffee' from Einstein Bagels. I fill it up half way with their house blend. Half way with the vanilla hazelnut blend. 2 splenda. A tablespoon of cream. And it's delightful!!!

Item number 2 up for my STAMP! is a new cereal I got yesterday to try. It's high in fiber and looks like rabbit food, but tastes good! I've always liked to add something to my yogurt- and this I believe is the healthier option. Yum!

Happy Friday, people!

Meet Minda :-)

2011-01-27T13:33:00.000-06:00

Snapshots from The Amazing Race

2011-01-24T11:19:00.000-06:00

But here's a fun picture :-)

Water. For. LIFE.

2011-01-20T08:52:00.000-06:00

Sooooo. I want to fill you in on a project I’m working on!

Most of you know that I started a new job in May of 2010 and that was a HUGE and exciting move for me. I LOVE my job and all that it entails! I’m able to use giftings and talents of mine that I never thought a ‘real job’ would ever be able to use! :)

I work at LIFE Outreach International which is a TV ministry- but also a ministry that is committed to meeting the needs of people all over the world. My job position at LIFE is working in social media (Twitter and Facebook) and also with our Ambassadors for LIFE. Ambassadors are people who contact us because they are affected by the need for clean water or food that so many have. They might not be able to give much of their own money but can affect those in their own sphere of influence. They host parties, marathons, tournaments, tea parties, lemonade stands, etc….to raise money to provide either food or clean drinking water to those in need. Seriously- we’ve got some creative people doing whatever THEY can do to make a difference.

So! We’ve just launched our new website at work: http://www.ambassadorsforlife.org/ My friend (and co-worker) Aaron and I-thought that instead of just TELLING people about how to become an ambassador-that WE could actually become ambassadors ourselves- and document the process. SO! That is our social media project!! We’ve decided to spend the next 40 days trying to raise $1600. This amount of money will provide CLEAN drinking water for 333 people….FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE.

We’re going to be posting videos, blog posts, and showing people that becoming an ambassador is NOT all that hard- and that it can be done! Here is a little bit more information for you.

Here is a link to our H2O challenge blog that we’ll be posting videos to… http://h2ochallenge.tumblr.com/ and here is the link to our personal ambassador page where people can go and donate money http://my.ambassadorsforlife.org/campaign/h2ochallenge/

The first part of the project is just letting our friends and family (THAT’S YOU) know what we’re doing and give them an opportunity to contribute. Aaron and I will be doing several events over the next 40 days (garage sales, concert ideas, baking…etc). If you would like to help us reach our goal of $1600 you can go here: http://my.ambassadorsforlife.org/campaign/h2ochallenge/ and click on the button that says “Donate to my Campaign.”

Thanks so much- not only for reading this beast of a post- but for helping out! When broken down- $4.80 can provide clean water for one person for the rest of their life. That's a BIG deal! If you are not at a place right now where you can give- that is TOTALLY ok. If you can't- would you consider sharing this email or the links to our project on your facebook as well? The more people that know- the better! That’s pretty easy! Even if you CAN give- and you have a facebook- We'd still love for you to help us spread the word. So grateful for you!! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the project as well :-)

$5 will be enough to give 1 person water for the rest of their life.

If everyone gave $5 we'd be well on our way to reaching our goal.

Grateful for an awesome community of friends!

Daddy-O

2011-01-14T08:46:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I was talking with a co-worker who mentioned that his daughter (17) is in the middle of her first broken heart.

He said "I've NEVER seen her cry this much."

My response to him was this: "Lucky for you! This is where YOU get to sweep in and become the hero."

He said "really?"

"Yes. very much, yes."

"Why's that?" he asked?

"She is going to need to be affirmed right now- that's she's loved...that she's beautiful....that there is nothing wrong with her" I told him. "My dad has always done a great job at this."

"Wow.....I didn't realize it was THAT big of a deal."
"Yes, yes it is" I said.

"Well what kind of stuff do I do?"

"YOU can be the one to bring her flowers..." ...I said "does she like starbucks? bring her a starbucks drink home today from work. It's really the small things. Nothing big. But just be there. And slide into the place that has just been left open."

Dad,

You've always done such a great job at this. I know plenty of girls who have 'needed' to have a boyfriend or a significant other in their life. I've never NEEDED that. (Not to say I've not WANTED that...and wanted it so badly it hurt) but I've never needed that. You have done an awesome job of affirming, of loving, and taking care of the small things. Whether it was a diet dr. pepper on a bad day, an email telling me how much you love me, or a special 2 hour drive into Dallas to take me to dinner and stock my fridge. Not to mention the fact that EVERY single valentines day of my life that I can remember- you've taken care of being my valentine. Grateful for you. I'm a lucky girl.

And by lucky, I mean- overwhelmingly blessed. You make it easy for me to have a glimpse of just how much my Father loves me. Because you do a great job of looking like Him.

Love you!

:-)

Rain

2011-01-11T16:16:00.000-06:00

an excerpt from my personal journal on January 8, 2011:

I feel as though there has been a switch flipped in my heart this week. I feel as though in one week- the Lord has revamped my heart and I KNOW that I know.....rain is coming.

Now. That statement might be a little confusing. Let me help you by explaining.

In Genesis. Noah. He's told to build an ark. That rain would be coming. (genesis 6)

Well- here's the kicker. He didn't know what 'rain' was. He was just told to prepare for it. (verse 17)

Prior to this past week- if I'd been Noah's neighbor...I would have thought he was CRAZY. Really. A guy building a huge ark....because "rain"...whatever THAT is....was going to come.

I mean really. They had no concept of what rain would be like..... how can you wrap your brain around something you've got nothing to associate it with?

But Noah. He believed. And he obeyed. And He trusted that God would do what He said He would do.

Minda. Minda wouldn't have believed. She would have been a scoffer. And said...."haaaa. right. rain. whatever THAT is."

Well. This past week. I participated in a New Years fast.

Here's what I felt in my heart on Saturday.
"Minda. 'Rain' IS coming. I know you don't know what it looks like- I know you don't know what it feels like. I know you have NOTHING to associate with it to even wrap your brain around it. But 'rain' is coming and I want you to start speaking as though you know it's coming. I want you to start praying as though you KNOW it's coming. And I want you to believe Me when I say it's coming."

Someone posted on twitter this past week: A diet changes the way you look. A fast changes the way you see!

This. Is. So. True.

I feel as though this week- because of the fast- that I was able to SEE a situation in an entirely new light that I needed to see.

So. Rain is coming.

(if this post doesn't make sense....I'm sorry. It's still new and fresh in my heart and mind and I am not sure I'm getting it across as effectively as I would want....But. either way. Be looking for more on this topic in the upcoming year!) :)

Week One of 2011

2011-01-09T22:46:00.000-06:00

Week 1 was an awesome week. I'm excited to share with you all some things that the Lord did this first week- but tonight at 10:45 is NOT the time! I just got home from a wedding for my dear friends, Johnny and Tara. A fun, fun evening spent with good friends, lots of dancing, and a bouquet toss in which YOURS TRULY finally caught a bouquet! :-)

Be checking back soon for a post sharing about this past week. It was reallllly good. And if you want to know sooner than the post will come out- call me :-)

Oh! And it SNOWED today!!!!!! yes. snow. I love it.

Bloggers Unite

2011-01-07T09:06:00.000-06:00

Ok....

I love reading blogs. I'd love to know some of your favorites!

Would you mind commenting and leaving me a comment with the link to one or two of your favorite blogs?

If you've not noticed before- to the right of my page I've got a list of blogs that I follow. If you blog and your name is not there- let me know! I'd love to read yours!

But yeah! Share some blogs with me today!

Dear Mom and Dad

2011-01-03T20:26:00.000-06:00

Mom, it's CRAZY to me- to think that right about now- 30 years ago- you were walking down the aisle in your white dress- at a church in Arizona- to meet dad at the alter and say "for better or worse."

Dad, it's CRAZY to me- to think that you were so freaking young, and committing to love and cherish mom 'til death do you part.'

30 years. I'm grateful.

I'll say it again. I AM GRATEFUL.

The statistics do not lie. What you have accomplished is nothing short of a miracle.

And I just hope and pray that I will find a man that is willing to do WHATEVER it takes to reach the same milestone that you guys have reached today.

I love you so much.

Here's to 30 more years.

January 2011

2011-01-03T15:45:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year, blogger friends.

2011 is gonna be a good year. I'm naming it and claiming it!
This past weekend I spent a lot of time reading back through my journals for 2010. And yes- that's plural....journalS....There were 3 of them! Geeeez. That's a lot, even for me!

I'm not one of those people that get a 'word' for the year....or have a vision for the year...(maybe I should be...?) But either way. That's not me. Although last year, for the first time, that happened. And I just remember hearing the Lord tell me that 2010 was going to be a battle.

As soon as I heard him say that- I felt a quick assurance follow up with that word, battle. The quick assurance He gave was this: It's going to be a battle, but Minda, you are ready for it.

So. Here we are, with 2010 wrapped up and I was reading through my journals. When I read the last page- all I could do was sit and stare at the page. I felt two very conflicting things. I felt a heaviness. Just the sense of "whoa. that WAS a year of battle. " Lots of hard things took place this year. But at the same time- I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face of the sweet realization of "wow. God, you are good. Even amidst all the hard things that took place- it was SO MUCH EASIER to walk through it with you. And you are SO worth my trust."

As I was driving on Saturday morning- this song kept playing through my mind:

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
and to take him at his word;
just to rest upon his promise,
and to know, "Thus saith the Lord."

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him!
How I've proved him o'er and o'er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust him more!

As I think about 2011, I realize that I still have a long way to go in the 'trusting Him' business. But it REALLY is so sweet to trust Him. To look back over the year and see how He provided, to see how He changed me, to see how much more I love Him. But yes, I still will need grace to trust Him in 2011.

2011 is going to be a good year.

Finishing up 2010 with a bang!...and an ER visit

2010-12-22T19:03:00.001-06:00

So- Monday I spent some quality time in the Emergency Room of Baylor-Grapevine Hospital. Just what I wanted to do to begin Christmas week of 2010.

I first went to the CareNow and then ended up in the ER. The ONLY reason I went to the CareNow in the first place was because I had such a sharp pain in my side that I was worried it might be my appendix...and from what I hear- it's better to have it taken out rather than have it rupture.....or so I hear... :-)

So I went in- had some tests run and the CareNow advised me to go to the ER.

Since this was my first time at an ER (and careNow) I wasn't really sure what to expect- or what I really even needed. I had a couple of friends and co-workers ask if I needed anything and I politely declined. After all- I was just going to be sitting in a waiting room.

But after an hour of waiting- I got a message on my phone from a friend asking where I was at. At the same time- the doors open to the ER and in walks Carolyn (not my sister....although she pleaded with me to allow her to come).....

When I saw Carolyn- I burst into tears. Upon telling this story later- several people were like "Minda!!! I asked if you needed anything or if you needed me to come!" My response was "....well, honestly until I saw Carolyn's face- I didn't know WHAT I needed."

So- after another period of waiting- they finally called me in and I said goodbye to Carolyn. Seriously- Carolyn- if you ever happen upon this blog post- There are no words to describe just how much your showing up in that ER blessed me. Realllly.

So I go in to see the Dr and he basically tells me the same thing as CareNow- that he's not comfortable ruling out my appendix- but that he's thinking it's kidney stones.

So- I get prescriptions with instructions to check back in with them.

I had a meeting at 5:45 that evening that I didn't want to miss- so I dropped off the prescriptions at the walmart close by and headed to my meeting. At this point- I'm feeling TERRRRRIBLE.

I go back to WalMart to get my meds- have to wait a while- problems with insurance- etc- and walk away with only 2 of the meds.

While driving home- I feel so wretched and I just lose it....again. Tears, streaming- I just hate being sick. I hate not knowing what the problem is. I don't want people thinking I'm faking it- I just hate it.

So while I'm driving home- I call my mom to figure out what I need to do about the 3rd medicine- and she gives me instructions. I get off the phone and start crying AGAIN! I don't WANT to call the ER and get the prescription fixed. I just want to go home, take some pain meds, and get in bed!!!!

And that's exactly what I did.

Went to work the next day (w/o the pain meds...cause I can't drive after taking it) and worked til about 1 before calling it quits. Went and got the final med- came home- saw that my temp had spiked up again- and I just took the meds and took about 3 naps. I'd wake up in between- watch some TV- then pass out again.

Finally- at 7:30 I was done. I fell asleep and slept til 6:20 this morning.

Went back to work today- feeling ok. My side is not hurting- but my body just feels 'off.' I don't know what's wrong. I have continued to feel nauseous, and at around 2:30 today- felt my temp spike again. So I left work at 3 and came home. I did call the ER and they suggested that at this point- since my stomach no longer is experiencing the sharp pain- that I just call my primary care physician.

So I came home- took more meds- and have been laying on the couch.

Now here I am- Wednesday night- laying on my couch- and blogging about my painful story. :-)

Grateful my side is not hurting anymore...thankful for friends who have been praying!

December in Pictures

2010-12-20T10:59:00.000-06:00

Took some friends home to Paris and decorated Christmas cookies!

The mug from starbucks that I've been checking out for a while showed up on my desk this morning!!!

Mollie taking a break in front of the Christmas tree!

Bought myself this ornament this year :-) Such a fun reminder of March 2010!

Lady at work reprimanded me and told me to put on some lipstick. So I went and bought Fire Engine Red and have been wearing it. :-) I'm not passive aggressive at ALL! ;-)

Gorgeous morning sky.

White Elephant gift exchange for work with one rule- gift must be displayed on desk for a month. I got a toilet seat!!! SO- of course I did a little decorative work ;-)

{love}

December Musings

2010-12-14T09:47:00.000-06:00

My roommate, Hailey, asked me 2 weeks ago what my favorite part of 2010 was.

Such a loaded question. With so many answers! I’ve been wanting to do a blog to sort of ‘wrap up’ the year- but hadn’t figured out how I would to that….So here’s the deal.

I will try and break down the year in the best way I know how…

The new Year started in the most amazing fashion- A Black Out Masquerade Party with hundreds of the coolest people I know and I’m so lucky to call them friends!

March was spectacular with the most amazing birthday EVER followed up by an awesome visit to South Carolina.

April/May brought lots of transition as I left my job of 3 years at Winfree Academy to take on a position at Life Outreach International helping to kick off their social media department. It was a transition that I am so thankful for- with lots of ‘new’…. New job, new co-workers, new schedule, new dress code…;-)

June/July/August was an interesting couple of months....14 weddings in those 3 months. Yes. 14. Lots of travel happened in July- South Carolina for the 4^th- Arizona the next weekend- South Carolina again at the end of the month…. OH! And I moved too! Ha. I got a new roommate and we moved into a new apt complex which I love! (the complex AND the roommate)

September/October/November- Yeah…I’m still trying to figure out where those months went….? Anyone?

And here we are in December.

Let’s discuss some silly favorites.

Favorite purchase: in June I bought a electric piano. Best money spent this year!
Favorite gift: my kitchenaid mixer!!!!
Favorite book I read this year: Beth Moore “So Long, Insecurity” (WOW! So. Good.)
Favorite YouTube video: Hide yo kids. Hide yo wives. Nuff said.

On a MUCH more serious note- (and by serious- I mean- most of this will be written in my journal- not this blog post) …. This has been my most favorite year ever with Jesus. I’ve spent more time with him this year probably than I’ve ever spent with Him. I’ve had some of the sweetest moments with Him and I’m trusting that He will take 2011 to a new level. (which is even hard to imagine because this year has been so deep.)

I have dug into His Word more than ever before and have leaned on the Truth of His Word more than ever. It’s amazing what happens when you hide his Word in your heart. Those Truths will be what surfaces when faced with difficult situations (and I’ve faced them this year…for sure.) If bitterness/anger is hidden- THAT will be what surfaces when faced with uncomfortable situations. I’ve known that all too well in past years and that is a Minda that no one deserves to see or deal with.

Thankful for this year.

2010 was a game changer for me.

He is good.

(also *winner of the CD was Josephine Luu!* I'll send it this week!!!)

10 Days

2010-12-05T20:50:00.000-06:00

I'm in the middle of a 10 day 'babysitting/housesitting' job. Not really babysitting, cause the kids are older- (ages 11, 13, and 15) but still. I'm the responsible party while the parents are in India for 10 days. The job started on November 28th and will end on Thursday, December 9th.

Today is December 5th....and we're all still alive!!! :-)

Really though...the kids are awesome. They are well-behaved and a lot of fun to be around!
The thing that was the most challenging at the beginning was bed time. The guys go to bed at 10pm. And...well. We know Minda goes to bed early. That first Sunday night- at 7:30 my eyelids were drooping and I was like...."umm....really!?!!? 10???" I painstakingly made it to 10pm. I precisely sent everyone to bed and went to bed myself. Evidently I passed out right away because I had several text messages from 10:06 and 10:08pm that I never heard!

I got the kids off to school, headed to work, then came home, made dinner, did homework, etc.....

I made it to 8:45 pm before getting too tired. Progress, my friends...progress. :-)

On Tuesday night I made it til 9:30 before hitting my wall. I told the guys that at 10pm they were needing to go to bed. I got a fight that evening....so I had to take these:

ooooh Yeah. Play station 3 remotes went to bed with me! :-)

On Wednesday night, I introduced the boys to the wonderful world of cake pops! They were impressed and also blown away at how long they took to make. But really liked them!

Thursday night I was a pro at the bed time thing and I didn't even to go bed myself until 10:30!!! Wooo! Gettin better! Friday morning I had a rough one. I didn't get my coffee, I felt rushed....Oh, did I mention I didn't have coffee? Yeah. I didn't. On Friday night- I got the night off (all the boys were stayin with friends or family) and I was able to celebrate Helen's birthday!!!

I came back on Sunday morning (that's today), cleaned up the house a bit- played in the backyard with Matthew- and then got to watch as he showed me he could fit through the doggy door!!! It's true! He could fit! So here we are.....on Sunday night. I'm thinking about setting all the clocks forward a bit.... Do you think they would notice? To pass the time, Christmas decorations went up, I went for a run with Luke, and made pumpkin pancakes for dinner. Good day so far! 1 hour and 10 minutes left before bedtime ;-)

Magic

2010-11-27T09:57:00.000-06:00

Not to be all cheesy or sappy on you here- but Oprah really did say it best.

When wrapping up her final "Favorite Things" show, Oprah said

"It's about knowing that something really magical and joyful and wonderful can happen to you when you least expect it."

I find this to be SO true. That's one of the main reasons I love giving gifts AND receiving them :-)

I love giving gifts. I don't just love giving a gift for the heck of it- I love to find the ultimate gift that will bring about the most amount of surprise.

If someone told me over and over and over how badly they wanted a certain item....THAT would not be the gift that I would want to give. Because they would almost be EXPECTING it. Not to say there is not value in that gift.....because it would make them happy. But the element of surprise is, to me, the best part about gift giving.

I'm not a fan of writing out Christmas wish lists for people. I'm not a fan of hounding someone for something. If I want something THAT badly- I'll save my money and buy it.

For instance, even after talking with my sister this past week- we BOTH mentioned that even something as small as a diet dr. pepper can light us up. If we don't ask for it- but yet someone just brings one to us- because they know we LOVE it- THAT is the element of surprise and love in a gift.

A cup of coffee.....a diet dr. pepper....Really, people??? If you knew you could light someone up with something so small and cheap as a drink for less than $3....wouldn't you do that more often?

Make it a goal this holiday season to find out what the "favorite things' are of those people in your life that you love and are in relationship/community with. Surprise them. It will mean so much more than that pricey item that you purchased out of obligation.

And. To finish out this blog..... Comment on this blog post with one way you will 'give' this holiday season and your name will be entered in a drawing for one of MY favorite things. I mentioned this CD in my last "STAMP!" post. Dave Barnes new Christmas CD. :-)

Happy GIVING!

Thankful

2010-11-26T09:11:00.000-06:00

This Thanksgiving was a little bit different as Lisa and Caralyn were not able to come home. What was awesome?? Mom and Dad still felt that Thanksgiving dinner should still take place even though I was the only one that would be home! Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, rolls, veggies, pie.....All of the above! And- I must say- this was probably THE BEST Thanksgiving meal we've ever made. No joke :-)

The morning started out with the thrilling news of a temperature drop of 55 degrees!!! WOOOO! So happy about that! I nestled in with a blanket, a cup of coffee, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Mom and I started the cooking process early on so that we could have all the dishes put together and ready to just be put in the oven when the Turkey was ready....

We ate our meal at around 3pm- then camped out on the couch for the remainder of the evening to watch the ooooh so disappointing Cowboy game.

That's about it for my Thanksgiving.... I know- lame post- just a really random run down of my day- But there you have it! Thanksgiving Day at the Corso home :-)

STAMP!

2010-11-23T12:00:00.001-06:00

It's been a while since I've done a STAMP! post......so here you go!
(if you are unfamiliar with the SOA posts {stamp of approval} you can see the other ones here)
First up- Dave Barnes. I love his music. I was introduced to him my freshman year of college and have seen him in concert probably 6 times or so. He's amazing. Reallly. Trust me on this one.

He just came out with a Christmas album and it has earned the place of item number 1 for this edition of STAMP!
:-)

See!??! Even an awesome album cover. :-) Ahhhh Dave.

Item number 2 on my list is a BOOK!

I picked this book up for work and was so impressed. The writing, the humor, the tears, it had it all. The book came out of a tragic accident- but the book has SO MUCH MORE than just the story of the accident. Mary Beth Chapman came out with a book called "Choosing to SEE" that I read in one sitting. Seriously. I couldn't put it down. If you have followed Steven Curtis Chapman and his music for any length of time- this book is a must read. I love this family ALL THE MORE now having read this book.

Simply moving. Read it!

Item number 3 on the list is an extremely FUN item!!!! eeeeeee :-)

i love it.

You can find it at Crate and Barrel. It's a set of 2 cookie cutters. In the shape of a cupcake.

I posted a picture of my cookies that I made the other day in an earlier post. You can check it out :-)

They are only 2.95 and are SO much fun to decorate once the sugar cookies have been cut!

Come on....bring out the baker in yourself! Do it :-)

Numbers

2010-11-19T15:12:00.000-06:00

I've been reading in Numbers this week- and first of all- I have to say- I got a new bible on Tuesday! I'd had my other bible for about 5 years and it was time for a new one! I'd had that one so marked up that I wasn't really able to see new revelation or new insight on a passage in which I'd already marked up.

So.

In the book of Numbers and as I read in chapter 28 I noticed a phrase that kept popping up. I made a mental note to go back to that phrase- but once I got to chapter 29- that phrase continued to show up! In the 2 chapters- it was stated 11 times.

The phrase being "aroma pleasing to the Lord"

So the Lord was giving Moses commands as to how the people were to offer up sacrifices and all the details that included. With each command- it would talk about the offering being presented to the Lord by fire and how the 'aroma' was pleasing to the Lord.

After 11 times in 2 chapters- I was intrigued. What is it about the smell that was so pleasing to the Lord?!?

A verse we are a bit more familiar with is in 2 Corinthians 2:15 in which it says "for we are to God the aroma of Christ- among those who are being saved and those who are being saved."

Now- obviously- the passages in Numbers are in the Old Testament in which burnt offerings still had to be presented....But once Jesus came and died on the cross for us as the ultimate sacrifice- we no longer had to sacrifice a lamb to atone for our sins. The one True Lamb came and covered all sins....past, present, and future.
(I know I'm missing a LOT of explanation here and just barely even skimming all that this entails)

But. Was thinking about this.

When cooking food- once the HEAT is added- the smell beings to permeate the room. It beings to circulate.

When wearing perfume or cologne- if your body HEATS up- the smell becomes stronger and more noticeable.

Heat brings about a fragrance that in Numbers we find was pleasing to the Lord.

So now....if WE are to be that aroma of Christ.... we have the ability to release a fragrance that is most pleasing to Him.....

ESPECIALLY when heat is added. So when walking through a fire- we have the opportunity to release a fragrance that is pleasing to Him....or not so much.

How do you smell today?

(even after having finished typing this up- I realize it might not make much sense and definitely is written by a 26 year old who has no bible school training....so please forgive my ignorance/terrible writing. Just really struck me as interesting this morning and felt I should share it here.)

Cookies!

2010-11-19T09:56:00.000-06:00

I had a little too much fun on Wednesday night :-)