Monday Update

Good afternoon ya'll!

I have finally started riding our recumbent bike and walking. I was inspired by Clare over at The Catholic Young Woman to take the Walk to Rivendell and Beyond challenge...thing. Basically you are tracking your progress and comparing it to the Hobbits journey. For me it works as a motivator because if I am only focused on the weight loss I lose my interest because it takes more time and I lose patience. However, walking in the footsteps (metaphorically speaking) of the Hobbits from LOTR...how awesome is that?! So much easier to be motivated as I see myself getting closer to Rivendell! I started last Monday and I am currently at 7.3 miles. Not much, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, right?

What else....hmm....oh! I spent a lot of money on some much needed clothing! Yeah. As my sister can tell you I don't have a lot of clothes (at least ones that I am not embarrassed to wear), so even thought it was money that I felt guilty spending (I am not a shopper and whenever I buy something for myself I feel guilt) it was a necessary investment. What stinks is that I still need more essentials! Oy.

I have an opportunity to intern at a community based/focused foundation which has awesome pay. It would be for the fall semester, but I haven't heard anything from them so I don't know if it is going to work out. God's will be done!

Getting ready for the fall semester. I have most of my textbooks bought, going to Walmart for school supplies this week, finally have a real desk which I have fixed up and love it (I should post a picture of it some time), and I have my classes and schedule set.

Exciting things to look forward to! God is good. :)

Have a blessed week!

Contentment

Hello blogging world! I know it has been a while but here I am! Maybe I need to start doing short weekly update posts. Hmmmm...

Anyway, I have been thinking a lot about contentment and living in the present moment. I think that far too often I am complaining about the present and longing for the future. When I was in high school I couldn’t wait for the freedom of college; now that I am in college I am impatient to graduate and get a full time job in my field; as a single young adult, I long to know my vocation (I think it’s marriage). The list goes on.

Of course the flip side of this coin is looking to the past! “Remember the good ol’ days,” people say. When in reality the past had its own trials which quickly fade into the background of our memories as we experience our present trials. To quote my History professor, “There is no such thing as the good old days.”

The grass is always greener on the other side. I have come to a better realization that every stage in life has its own trials.

This reminds me of Trace Adkins song Your Gonna Miss This 

Here’s some of the first lyrics:

She was starin' out the window of their SUV

Complainin', sayin', “I can't wait to turn eighteen”

She said, “I'll make my own money and I'll make my own rules

Momma, put the car in park out there in front of the school”

And she kissed her head, and said, “I was just like you”

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days

Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

It is so important to live in the present moment, and enjoy the blessings (small and large) God has bestowed on you for that day. That is my goal for this fall semester. I am going to try to enjoy my second to the last semester at college because I will never have this time back. I am debt free, I am healthy, I am attending a college that I love, I am young, I will have two part time jobs, I don’t have to pay rent, I have parents that help me out financially and give me very wise advice. Never again will I have this time in my life, and darn it, I am going to enjoy it! ;) 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Beautiful People

{ You know when, sometimes you meet someone so beautiful, and then you actually talk to them and five minutes later, they’re as dull as a brick? Then there’s other people, and you meet them and you think, ‘Not bad; they’re okay.’ And then you get to know them, and their face sort of becomes them, like their personality is written all over it. And they just turn into something so beautiful. }

 Amy Pond

Sometimes you meet someone who is truly beautiful. I am fortunate enough to know a few truly beautiful people. I say a few because I find that these types of people that I am referring to are rare, like a hidden pearl. Personally, when I meet these people, I want to be around them all the time and they make me want to be like them. They always have a smile, something good to say about someone else, they never make you feel unimportant, and their Facebook posts are never negative!Have you ever met someone like that?

But what makes these people so attractive?

 

I have come to a conclusion, and that is: love. They radiate love. They are a beautiful reflection of God’s goodness, beauty, mercy, joy, truth, and purity.

To be this way you have to be very generous. To love is to be vulnerable, and therefore, you cannot be selfish with any aspect of your life, and must be ready to give of yourself fully to others...with joy! The beautiful people I am referring to do this. They think only of others and give freely of themselves.

As Christians we are called to be a light in the world, and it is said that people should be able to tell we are Christians simply by our actions. Beautiful people are happy and content with God’s will for their life, and they are open to where He leads them. Imagine living a life where someone can without a doubt say, “That person is a follower of Christ.”

Naturally, these people are still human beings with faults of their own. Nobody is perfect. However, I only hope and pray that someday I can be as beautifully flawed as these individuals.

{  Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. } 

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

A Fresh Start...

Hello again blogging world! After an absence of over a year (maybe two), I was inspired and prompted by my lovely friend Amanda to start blogging agian. However, rather than continuing on my old blog, I felt it time to start anew. So here I am!

I will be sharing my random thoughts and musings on various topics, occasional pictures, sewing and craft projects, and the adventures I encounter in my journey through life that God has prepared for me.

Very timely, my other blog was awarded the Scrumptious Blog Award by Amanda over at Come Along Pond!  

However, I am applying it here (I'm cheating a little bit), and not tagging people since I am "new" to the blogging world as of now. (Everything is different!)

Questions:

1. Which person of the Old Testament do you most admire, and why?

Oh my. Normally when I think of Bible characters (at least the ones that I admire) it is usually New Testament individuals. I guess off the top of my head I would have to say Esther because of her femininity and bravery.

2. Of all the films coming out this summer, which one are you the most excited for?

Not fair! I don’t have favorites! It is impossible for me to pick one movie so I will put my top three: The Desolation of Smaug, Monster University, and Thor 2.

3. Who was your best friend when you were a little girl, and are you still friends with them now?

Growing up I didn’t really have a lot of friends due to various reasons and circumstances; it was a cross I struggled with for many years. So there really wasn’t anyone I could call my best friend when I was a little girl, except my sister.

4. Baking or cooking?  (Baking implies desserts, cooking just regular old food.)

Probably baking because it’s generally sweet stuff. *wink*

5. If you could live in any state in the US, which state would you choose?

I am pretty happy in Michigan; being able to experience each season’s beauty is really cool, and IMHO no state shows off its seasons better than Michigan. If I had to pick outside of Michigan I would have to say…I don’t know. I haven’t seen a whole lot of states. When my family was driving across the US to get here I really liked Iowa. I also love Virginia but it is much too hot for my taste.

6. Do you like to follow current fashion trends, or are you your own trendsetter?

Any trends that I see or pick up on are due to Pinterest and my sister. However, I lack the money to follow any trends. :P I am not very good with style so I generally follow rather than set my own trends.

7. What do you enjoy most about your current job?

The flexibility. They are not super strict about clocking in a few minutes late or early, they are pretty good about letting you have time off, and they are very cooperative when it comes to editing your schedule during the school year.

8. Look back at who you were five years ago.  Are you pretty much the same person or do you think you've changed a lot?

I think I have changed a lot. I wasn’t even graduated from high school 5 years ago! Now I am two semesters away from graduating college, I make my own schedule, juggle my money on my own, have a credit card (I try not to use it), can write a 5-page paper in one day (used to take me a week or two), have more life experiences under my belt, and I feel that I have grown in other personal ways as well.

9. Do you like to sing?

Like to sing and can sing are two very different things! Haha! I love to sing but I cannot sing. That would be my sister and her gorgeous soprano voice. Even though I can’t sing on key, I love to sing along (nice and loud) in the car with my favorite radio channels. :)

10. In your opinion, what is the best cool drink for a summer day?

Sweet Iced Tea.