Opportunities... or "God uses you when you suck the most"

Wow, I am just in awe. So this week has been long...and tiring...and I'm probably not being the most devoted Christ-follower out there. I have really been trying to get in the Word more like um, daily, but this is hard. I have also been praying, like before I fall asleep... What is that? My relationship with God needs a jump start is what I've been thinking. A retreat. A revelation. A new devotion book... something! Lord knows I need it so I guess the way He wanted to do that was to give me an opportunity.

A little background information on my spiritual journey over the last year. After last summer I had been feeling like God wanted me to move from Horizon and the high school ministry to pursue leading worship. I didn't know exactly what that meant or where that would lead me but after going to North Coast Calvary for a couple months, the drive got too long and it felt like I was missing the piece of fellowship and community. I then got introduced by my roommate to the church I go now called Newbreak. She was going there and brought me along with her. She ended up moving on and somehow, someway I ended up staying. I kept hearing this faint voice... stay and worship Me. Hmmm, this really isn't the exact place I want to be Lord. I was kind of looking for a husband here (to be honest) and its smaller than I am used to. Hmm. But I stayed.

Only a few weeks into being at this new church I was introduced through another dear friend of mine to the worship pastor, Ron. Great guy and the odd thing was he was starting a group to mentor worship leaders. Hmm I thought...this is like something I've been looking for, for years. Ever since I began playing worship really. You come to a point when you've learned about 10 chords and you know most worship songs and you get stuck. Well this is where I was at about March this year. I had been playing every so often for Horizon's high school and that was a great way to get experience with sound and comfortability playing in front of others on a stage. If anything grows your confidence, its high schoolers and their incredible ability to criticize others. So here I was at this new church and I find myself in this mentor group. I had to "audition" which he didn't call it that but he had heard from my dear friend that I loved worship and was a worship leader... I think he just wanted to make sure this was true. :) So I became part of the group and over the last months I have been meeting weekly with several other worship leaders and pastor Ron to continue to grow this gift. There has been times of complete insecurity and times of great joy as I've grown, learned, studied and been exposed to a plethora of things I'd never seen or thought of before. The one thing Ron always says is "being proceeds doing." He says, "Worship God before you lead others to worship." I have really learned that this absolutely HAS to be true for you to lead anyone in genuine worship. The Holy Spirit can lead like no other... so I let Him.

This brings us to Tuesday morning when I received an email from Ron asking if I would co-lead the worship this Sunday with him at the main service. CO-LEAD? MAIN SERVICE? THIS SUNDAY? I could barely get through the email before I responded back with "YES! I AM HONORED!" It was funny because he actually said "pray about it" and I thought "I have prayed about this for the last couple years. I know what God would say." ;)

There is no feeling like being exactly where you are supposed to be and doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing. That is how I felt at rehearsal tonight. I know Sunday will be nerve-racking and might not sound the best, but my one prayer is that I would let the Holy Spirit lead in and through me as this gift is from Him. There is nothing more powerful than that. I am honored and humbled to be a vessel of Christ. Wow.



To God be the glory.

(Pray for me!)

Eliana Reese, My Little Niece

Welcome Sweet Baby Girl! 9lbs 2 oz November 20, 2010 at 2:22pm.







...This is what I've been waiting for. :)

Sometimes a day off...

is all you need. :)

We exchanged yesterday for today at work and it has been nothing but catching up. Doctors appointments, endless laundry, planning baby showers, buying flights, washing the sheets, budgeting... the list goes on. Listening to Sara Bareilles makes it all fun.

I'm planning to go on a walk with a friend sometime soon then tonight we are celebrating Kim "Ruby"s birthday at her place with dinner made by her husband. Sounds like a birthday party to me.

* Happy Birthday Kim! *

Saturday & Sunday have nothing on my iPhone calendar... NICE. This week merits a weekend like this. All I need is a margarita tonight and all is well. ;)

In light of the shore.

I stole this quote from a friends blog, but it was just too good not to re-post. In light of my last post and the longing for some things to never change, I find this quote inspiring. Lord, take us on an adventure with you. Whether storms or blue skies, we are with You.

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity.

-Sir Francis Drake

Taylor & Reflections on Life

Well, as I sit here listening to Taylor's new album and thinking of last years Halloween Costume, it gets me thinking about life.


And how it changes. Wow.

On Taylor's new album she has a song called Never Grow Up and today it made me cry. This must have been the reason I didn't wear make-up today. Sometimes I feel like this song and I just want to click 'pause' on life. Or go back and live at home again. Its a deep longing in me that wants to sleep under the same roof as my parents again and have them buy the groceries or drive me to volleyball or even write me a list of "chores" for Saturday. Or open presents from my Grandma at Christmas. Or smell the apple pie she made on Thanksgiving. I want to never grow up sometimes.

Life is an interesting thing. Its has moments of pure bliss and the change is joyful, renewing and exciting. Then there are moments of utter sorrow and things change that you never wanted to. Life seems to throw you around, never slowing down but always changing. As I look through my pictures, I noticed a few.

...Last year, Kamar, Kim and I threw the Halloween Party. This year, I live with Kamar and Brittany. Kim is married and living with her husband.

...Last year my friend Melissa was Kat Von D for Halloween. This year she is about to have a sweet baby girl and was a "Speed Bump"

...Last year my friend Emily was a pumpkin. This year a hippy and well over 100lbs smaller.

...Last year my Grandma was alive and well, unknowing of the cancer growing in her body. This Halloween she's gone.

Some things are still the same. My blond curly hair. My job. I'm still kind of the same size. (Shoot!) I still have the same amazing friends. Single. Love rap music. Ha. But most importantly, what hasn't changed is my God.

He's the same yesterday, today and forever.

Thankfully. :)

Music & God

I was talking with one of my friends today and we were discussing the different forms of entertainment. She mentioned that she loves all three: Music, Reading and Books and can actually be doing two or more at a time. i.e. reading and listening to music. I was telling her that I love all three more now than I used to, but over all, the one I love the most is...

Music.

Along with God, music is the only other thing that can fill my soul like it does. It runs in and through me, like a heart beat. Dancing through my veins and bringing me to life. I find music to fit my mood, or I let music change my mood. I can quickly be uplifted and rise above all my problems the second a melodic tune comes on. It really can change me, in a second. I love that about music. Thats why I listen to music mostly about God.

I learned somewhere, that the spiritual component and musical component (or places in the brain they have detected activity when involved in these activities) are next to each other. I.e. They are connected.

With my knowledge of God and how He so intrically created us, I know this wasn't a mistake. That's why there is something about WORSHIP. Its music that brings your soul closer to God. There is a quote I heard once that said...

It is in the process of being worshiped that God communicates His presence to men.

Dwell on that.

God communicates His presence to us through music. I know I feel that. Do you?

Its Been A While!

First of all, I just went to title this blog and realized the usage of "a while" or "awhile" has always left me perplexed! I turned to Google, only to come to the conclusion that: the english language is weird! Haha! If anyone is curious though, I believe I used it correctly in my title as a "Noun Phrase" of a-while because the use of "awhile" is an adverb meaning "for a short time." Interesting!

Okay, well now that's settled! On to some updates! I would love to write on here that life has been amazing... that I got a NEW JOB that PAYS way more! Or, I signed up for SCHOOL and am stoked on pursuing the perfect career! Or that I lost 20 lbs by straight diet, exercise and self-conrol! Hmm... Not really.

Life has been quite challenging lately. Overall I'm doing well, but it did take a perspective change to help me understand some of the things God has in my life right now to shape me and mold me. Its been a mixed bag, really. Some heavy stuff, some really fun stuff and then some just Blah stuff. First off, my Grandma is dying of lung cancer. Its really one of those things that you're never prepared for and the crazy reality of death is breath-taking. I have experienced death before with my grandparents on the other side but I think because this is my Mom's mom and the grandma I've always been closer to, its much harder. Really though, the bond we have had in Jesus has been the strength that has helped me through. I flew home 2 weekends ago to visit her and spend my last moments with her. I painted her nails, rubbed lotion on her legs, read her some scripture and cried with her. After lots of tears and even as I write this, I can only be thankful for the precious time we got to spend together, one last time. I will replay the words she said to me over and over in my heart forever. Until we meet again. She is a beautiful, strong and compassionate woman of God and her influence on my life has been profoundly spiritual. I know she will be in God's presence soon and for that, I am actually kind of jealous.
I truly love her and will miss her dearly.



God is very good though because as one life is ending, another is beginning! We celebrated my best friends baby's near arrival last weekend and after all the emails and planning... the shower turned out fantastic! I have absolutely loved watching this new life being formed in my friends womb...its a nice way to live vicariously through her until the time is right for me to have my own. After all I've seen and learned though, I think I can wait. ;)





This weekend has been relaxing, perusing the Street Fair on Adams, playing with friend's puppies, planning Halloween Extravaganzas, bachlorette boudoirs, etc. At this party, it actually came up that I hadn't blogged in FOREVER, so this one's for you, Cyna! Glad someone reads it. ;)

(Emo's new puppy, Baxter! Oh, for life to be this simple)

Tomorrow the agenda is:
Church (with Aloha!)
Call the parents and check in
Watch the Chargers Game
Relax
Practice Guitar

Sounds fabulous to me. Even when life brings me to my knees, I'm very thankful for the blessings that lift me up again.

Even if they are small.

[Your prayers for my Grandma and family are coveted. <3 ]

If I could do this the rest of my life, I would.

...He is worthy.

Happyness

Seeing my first raise at work on my paycheck. Discovering new yummy low carb/sugar food like Cookies and Cream thinkThin Bars at TJ's. Jesus Culture's album Your Love Never Fails. Running after a long, tiring day at work. Getting some time alone to just worship, nothing else. The movie Pursuit of Happyness. Looking forward to work everyday.

:)

Weekend of All Weekends

When your weekend consists of these things, you know it was good. :)

1. Amazing Friends
2. Amazing Iced Coffee
3. Beach/Tan (We'll leave the burn part out ;)
4. Healthy Pizza
5. Dinner on the porch
6. The Proposal
7. Church with an Amazing God


I'M BLESSED!!!

Cheddar Bunnies

Too many of those dang little things snuck into my mouth today! I think I had one carb too many today (Exactly, actually. I have 6 servings of carbs each day and today I had 7. Dang) Therefore I will remedy this tomorrow! No more reaching into the Annie's Cheddar Bunnie box without counting. :) Tedious? Yes. Necessary. Yes again. Hey, at least I get like 50 of those bunnies instead of something lame like 16.

Well to update folks on my sugarless "lifestyle" ADJUSTMENT* things are getting a little harder as I approach the end of Week 2. Not harder as in, Oops! I just bought a milkshake and downed 6 cookies! but just like "Mmm, that looks good. I want one. Oh yeah, I am not eating sweets. Hmmm, when will I have sweets again? Not anytime soon? Oh yeah, is that what I said? I almost forgot what cookies taste like!" The inner dialog begins but the Spirit and Determination override her. She will be beat down. Relentlessly.

On the up-side, its fun to look in the mirror when you can expect some positive changes. Then you know you've taken it too far when you are stepping on the scale morning and night and maybe at some point in between! Oops! Yes, I weigh a few more lbs in the evening. Yay! I weigh a few less the next morning! Who cares! GEeez Louise. I will be stoked when I buy some smaller clothes. Until then... The journey continues!

God Speed!

*I put this in CAPS as its a BIG adjustment, but only an adjustment none the less.

POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME!

Well, actually please dont! Because that would be really hard not to get some in my mouth and then I would have to count that as at LEAST 1 sugar gram of my 15. That would sort of be a waste and really not an enjoyable experience...Not to mention the sugar in your hair and stuck to your face...in your ears. But anyways, that song has some good memories attached to it. Hopefully someone who is reading this remembers...AND it was a good segway into this blog post. :)

... I have joined the sugar-LESS world! I know some others can't have sugar due to surgeries or illnesses, etc but my situation is a little different. I like to describe it as similar to one of an alcoholic. Although I am not an alcoholic (PTL), I thiiink I was a sugar-aholic! Seriously! I did sort of a test on myself and yeah, well, I failed! I gave it up for about a week and realized I didn't even give up all sugars...just the obvious stuff like brownies, cake, cookies (Mmm) But really, that is not a food group. Brownies are not supposed to be a daily after-lunch treat. Dang! :) But really? Did you know a glass of 2% milk has 14 grams of sugar? Or somethin craZy like that?? Yes, I did NOT know this...but when I found out, I realized... WOW. I really am addicted to sugar. Needless to say, Not good. [Note: I am not advising everyone to be on such a sugarless program like this...but for me, I feel it necessary]

To remedy this along with other healthy desires to get in shape, I started a sugarless, low carb diet! I made it through 1 whole week aleady! Yippee! I know, I sound excited. How could you be? Well, I am. I will be. Its a mental game, really. Not a diet, but a lifestyle change. And one I plan to stick with for as long as necessary, maybe adjusting later in the game to slowly add some things back. But I often come back to the question, Does the alcoholic have just one sip every once in awhile? Or the whole bottle. Hmmm... good things to ponder.

One week down and many to go, but I am motivated and feeling great! Yes I say no to many things in life now food wise, but I get to say YES to many MORE things and thats the way I choose to look at it! :)

Nobody gonna hold me down... Oh no... I got to keep on movin'!

PS Emily, yay for the sugar-free recipes...send more my way!

My New Lover,

Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained

I've decided to keep trying new things. I am 25. I am young. I am full of life... Let's LIVE it.

Right now, I'm making a pizza, listening to pandora and drinking a glass of white wine. Doesn't get much better than this, single ladies. One day, I will miss this.

TV in 2010

It seems like right when one show ends, I fall in love with another. This can't be a good habit. :) But I have to publically announce:
I am now a total GLEEK.

I wasn't sold the first time I watched it, but after many friends, co-workers and basically EVERYONE loving it, I gave it another chance. And it won me over. The Lady Gaga episode... I've watched the last song like 4x now. A bit much? I know. A conversation with my boss got me thinking about how much TV reflects society and the culture of the time. I think the reason this show is so popular is the pure fact that it leaves you with a smile. That is always a sign of a good show. I also think the "underdog" is played up in this GLEE club "New Directions" and it really hits home for people who have felt like an outcast at one point in their lives. Musically, this show blows me away. After watching it the last couple episodes, I've said like 12x...this is what American Idol SHOULD be. Ugh, I'm so over that show. Crystal should have won, but thank goodness its over.

I'm also WAY stoked on this season of SYTYCD. (LONGEST name ever, by the way. No way am I writing that all out. If you don't know what I'm talking about, sorry) The dancers seem to be incredibly talented this season and despite the same 2 hour long structure like American Idol, Cat Deeley is just freaking adorable (Unlike Ryan Seacrest) and they do SUCH a better job in structuring the time and showing meaningful performances. Its only a top 10 this season so the competition is high! Yay!

All I have to say is thank the Lord for DVR.

Oh and last weekend's wedding festivities... TOTALLY BOSS. Mazel Tof Miata & Shox!

Random Thoughts & a Busy Weekend

Some random thoughts:

I am SO excited and proud of my friend, Emily, for losing 100 lbs! What an accomplishment. Its like watching a beautiful flower unfold. Keep up the amazing work and inspiring those around you! :)

Work has been really mellow this week. It makes me think of a few things. Number one, SO glad I don't have a "Desk Job" that includes mostly, filing, scanning and faxing. One of my co-workers and I were discussing which was worse: Faxing or Scanning. Its a toss-up, really, but I vote faxing. It always takes at least 20 minutes and you have to wait there to make sure it goes through. Then when the machine gets all excited and pulls 3 pages at once...that makes it even more fun! Then it has to wait...busy...cancelling...and you start all over again. At least this always seems to be the case with me. What's your vote? Yeah, they both suck. I'm glad I work with kids.

When the boss is gone: Its hard to stay motivated. This whole week has pretty much been "boss free." Now in many ways, this is nice. :) We all look forward to that freedom and NO accountability. I have to admit- Its wonderful. I am accomplishing what needs to get done, but its nice to take a "coffee break" with the co-worker at any point of the day. Or blog. Or Facebook. Or dominate people in Words With Friends.(Opps, I should get back to work!)

Now to the Busy Weekend. Here's a line up of whats going on:
Friday: Work. Olympia comes in. Bachlorette Party for Miata!
Saturday: Coffee with Heather. Music Practice.
Rehearsal Dinner for Miata and Shox
Sunday: Church. More Music Practice. Wedding for Miata and Shox
Monday: Hang out with Olympia. Maybe Beach Day? Mmm that sounds nice. Hopefully plan some sort of BBQ or get-together too, if I'm not wiped from all the previous festivities. ;)

Well I am working until 7pm tonight, so for everyone home, eating dinner and relaxing...Enjoy! I'll get there at some point.

Have a Terrific Thursday, everyone.

Drivers Seat

OK, so sometimes I go through these slumps. It's Saturday night. I'm sitting on the couch, in my PJ's, looking forward to one thing: A call from my parents. Now, I LOVE my parents and all... but that doesn't sound like a fun life to me. Probably doesn't to you either. You might be thinking "Wow, poor Jackie, thats pretty lame." Well I'm thinking the same thing.

Its time to start taking life by the balls. I'm sick of some things in my life and I'm going to change them. First off-- EVERY day has potential to be freaking amazing. Its what you make of it. We all know the saying, "You get out what you put in" Well, I don't thinking I'm putting enough IN.

The movie "Bride Wars" has been my recent motivation. Liv, (Kate Hudson) reminds me of myself. At one point in the movie someone refers to her as "the EX-Heffer" In the movie, she is walking as fast as she possibly can and her friend is jogging (with ease) around her. HAHA If I have to walk as fast as these dang legs can go... I will get somewhere. Eventually. I am going to be an Ex-Heffer, if it kills me. (And it just might)



Well I am going to start by making some goals. What is a person without some freaking direction, ambition or drive. To be honest, sometimes I have none. Its the weirdest, smallest things that sometimes trigger this wave of motivation, but Lord knows I need it. I know HE will help, but sometimes you gotta fake it until you make it.

Maybe when I get somewhere, this blog will be renamed "Ex-Heffer" and I will be able to post some successful pictures of myself. Its kind of motivating just to write it out on here and ever since I saw Julie and Julia, I've wanted to start a blog about a weight loss challenge. Weight is one of those things: It can either swallow you up in shame, pity and depression or you can fight it back with laughter, sweat and maybe a few tears. I've always talked about writing a book about it, but I'm not too much of a writer, so I think blogger is about it for me. I will use this blog to track my progress, share my thoughts, frustrations and successes! Will you read along as I start the journey of fighting off evil brownies, cookies and carbs and head towards a happier, healthier me? I need the support!



First Goal: -6 lbs.
Time: Ruby's Wedding June 26th

I'm sick of sitting in the passenger seat and letting Food drive. She ain't driving me to where I want to go. MOVE OVA!

Fun Things

This past weekend was the Chiles Wedding (Congrats Nate & Garyn) and it sure was fun. I love wedding. Yes, after like 57 of them, in the back of your mind you are thinking of your own, but I can still appreciate others love and committment over my own desires. I am excited to see two more lovely people join their lives together and celebrate what God meant for marriage!

This week I am looking forward to a few things:
* Taking a half-day Wednesday and spending it with my dear friend Allison for her birthday! We are heading up to Carlsbad to walk along the beach, get our nails done, sip some coffee and go out to dinner with her family. I am so excited!!!

*Pay Day- Thursday. Enough Said

*Friday, when I get off work. (I know, a little ahead of myself but its going to be a busy week!)

*Pearl's Baby Shower on Saturday! Melissa (BF) has been planning this and I know its going to be so fun to see her belly again and get excited for the first lil' one in our friends group

Well this weekend is coming to a close and I did manage to get some grocery shopping and laundry done before the sun goes down...but now I'm off to enjoy my last couple of hours before Monday comes crashing in.
See you all later!

Updates!

1. Garyn's Bridal Shower. AMAZING. I want one, just like it.
2. Ruby's Bridal Shower last weekend! Totally 50's Retro. Totally awesome.
3. I slammed my finger in my car door Wednesday. Its just now regaining feeling.
4. I wrote a bucket list of 25 things I want to do in my life. Lots of it involves music. :)
5. This weekend, I don't have plans. WEIRD, but incredibly awesome









P.S. Writing this blog at 1:40am?!?! When is the last time I've stayed up this late. (Must be due to the caffeinated beverage I had at 8pm. Dang it)

Fo Free

YAY!

Well, first of all the yay is due to a great MonDAY! Hallelujah, it was long, but really fun! First off, you all know my love for Starbucks (Coffee in general) right? But today. Starbucks. FO FREE? I LOVE YOU EVEN MORE! (Actually it wasn't free, but the awesome small spunky boy, my new amigo ringing me up, only charged me $.50) Thats right. FIT-Y CENTS. Ultimate Success.

The second thing I got for free today was.........

PADRE TICKETS TO OPENING NIGHT! PTL! We got them through work (Its really paying off to be a social worker) and took a couple kids with us. It was a total blast. We won like 15 to something! (I don't really know baseball and we bounced slighty early to miss traffic) Mind you, we did NOT succeed in the parking arena before the game, touring around downtown for literally an HOUR before we finally parked at the convention center for only $10. Praise the Lord. You know I was prayin'.

What a day of free things. Gosh, what could be better?! I'm so blessed. : D

This week is turning out to be quite busy, but after a somewhat "crisis call" tonight from one of my girls, I was realizing I need to keep my eyes open. God always brings opportunities when I either feel most tired or most attacked. I must be prepared to give an answer for the hope that I have! If anyone has any suggestion on books/articles on how to reach this youth's generation with the Gospel I'm all ears. I got to give her the salvation message tonight (Or at least a botched version of it) and told her to read Romans. [Lord, reveal Yourself to her tonight through Your Word, Amen]

Well I love you all. Yep, all of you. Some that I talk with everyday and some I haven't seen in like 5 years. May God bless your individual lives whereever you are and for whatever you do. God has placed each of us specifically where we are at, so dwell in the midst of us, Lord! Man, What a God we serve. :)

"But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings." Malachi 4:2

Peace Out.

Friday Nights Can Be Boring

Its perfectly ok to not do something fun on a Friday night.

Why?

Because you just worked 40 hours and you're tired? Yeah. Its okay. Lots of cool people don't do incredibly amazing, exciting and fun things on Friday nights too. Phew! Now that we got that settled...

This weekend is going to be busy! Bridal showers, baby receptions, and Bed Bath and Beyond... I mean. ;) But seriously, I have like 62 parties scheduled for these next two months (ok...mayyybe not) but somewhere around that. However I love reasons to celebrate so I'm not complaining! Tomorrow night is a cocktail bridal party... CHEERS! In a couple weekends, its my roommate's bridal shower and I'm really getting stoked for that. We have a killer theme.

Sunday will include church and coffee with my little sis. That will be just delightful. I'm excited to spend some time with the Lord too this weekend between all the showers and receptions.

Exciting News though: My work got free tickets to the Padres Opening Night on Monday and we get to go with some of our kids! Today we found out and I was like giddy! I couldn't stop saying "YAY!" Obviously, I'm looking forward to Monday. :)

Made another Target run today. So unnecessary, but had some time to "kill" or some money burning a hole in my pocket. Either way.

On to the weekend! Lets make it memorable! Readyyyyy. GO!

oVeRsTiMuLaTeD

What A Day. Phew!

It was long, sort of uneventful in the middle of it and ended with WAY too much chaos. Community Meetings. Lots of kids. Lots of kids' kids. One word: Overstimulated.

I am now sitting here in COMPLETE silence, with the TV on mute, debating what to do. I'm starving. Want to read my bible. Want to read Harry Potter. but don't. want. to. move. Oh. And should go to the gym. Ughh.

One thing I love about sitting here, in the silence, is that God brings peace in the s i l e n c e. A good, necessary dose of it. With the chaos of work, kids (not my own but they feel like it...and after tonight, I can WAIT to have my own), bills, errands and just LiFe, God's peace washes over me as I sit here.
Wave...after...wave.

Thank You, Oh Lord, for letting me rest in the Shadow of the Most High.

Psalm 91:1-4
My Refuge and My Fortress

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler."

Thankful

What an Easter! Church, some light reading, shopping and a 7.2 EARTHQUAKE? [Thankfully our house is still standing] Could it get any crazier? Not really. ;)

But ya know, I'm very thankful for a few things today. I was realizing that what I really enjoy about Easter (and holidays in general) is the time with my family. Considering I don't have a family of my own yet, it can get lonely with my family spread out and about 500 miles away. Right now...my parents are in Hawaii on vacation and most of my brothers are in school in Northern California. I miss them all.

Even though I am reallly looking forward to having a family someday and making mad target runs, buying lots of chocolate, doing easter egg hunts and reading my children cheesy/awesome stories with props about The Resurrection, I am thankful first and foremost to my Savior and Redeemer. Without the meaning of today, I really don't know what I would put my Hope in. Because of what was done for me on the cross, I put my Hope in Him. From what I've learned in this life...people are pretty messed up. It must take a pretty Perfect God to put us back together and thankfully, we have one.

Oh Praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead!

I am thankful.

Apparently...

Stress is bad.

Who knew? It leads to sleepless nights, headaches, crazy dreams, colds, and cold sores. The antibiotics can take away the cold sores, but not the stress. Unfortunately.

Reasons I could be stressed?
Work.

I don't really have a crazy personal life of drama at this point in my life (which is a HUGE blessing) and I have a wonderful family (of whom are really far away) but my job, isn't exactly a stress-free environment (as I know most jobs aren't). Social Work though, I think is in the same category of Doctors. MD's help heal the body. Social Workers try to heal the soul. Key word being, try, but as most Christians would know...People need Jesus, not other people. I get caught in the trap sometimes (ok often) that I can help heal people by giving them lots of Jackie. Actually all of me. Jackie can bring a smile, laughter and maybe some relief for a time, but Jesus can bring Healing, Life and Redemption for all Eternity. Hmmm.

Yes, Self Care is important... I know this from working a day in this field, but apparently my body is telling me to "TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!" and PRAY. HARD.

I will De-Stress by:
*Spending Time With My Maker
*Praying For My Kids, NOT Worrying
*Hitting The Gym

All of these, I hope to accomplish tonight. Ok...I better get going on my list! :) If you think to, pray for me and that I would be committed to giving the people around me Jesus, not just jackie.

Goodbye Stress!
Love, Jackie

Well, Hello There

What a great way to end the weekend.

The doctors office.

Who would have thought? I made an appt tonight and after a "quick" walk back from Ken Cafe with my iced vanilla chai latte and a stop to my bestie's house for the second Harry Potter book, I made my way over to Kaiser. Not usually something I'm pretty stoked about, ya know, the doctors isn't like the place to be on a Saturday night or a relaxing Sunday evening event...but let me tell you! I've never had a better experience.

The doctor's name was Muhammad Ashori. Now don't tell me that kind of makes you nervous. Nothing against the Middle East (shout-out Venish!) but there's something comforting about having a name that sounds familiar. Well, all of this was out the window the second this incredibly gorgeous Arabic/White man walked in the room. It was one of those times you think... so glad I'm not in here for something like: HIV status results or anything more awkward than the common cold... but needless to say... What a guy! He was beautiful!

AND ridiculously sarcarstic and hilarious. I proceeded to tell him about northern california kaisers and why they don't share records, he responded with "bastards." Then I was telling him about my job and he responded with "Yeah, so you totally have like the easiest job ever. No stress at all." We ended the visit with him telling me to email my primary female doctor with this exact email: "Dude, Get me some refill meds or I will shank you." "We respond well to threats. Us doctors, we're actually total wimps." Muhammad Ashori, I love you. You're Totally Wicked.

Ah, well I am feeling better (after M Dawg Ashori ;) and am getting myself pumped for Monday. You just have to be ready. Its like, if you walk into the office at 9am not 100% prepared, you're setting yourself up to fail. I like to be prepared.

Hope I get sick again really soon,
<3

Working overtime and loving it.

Gosh, its a weird feeling to come home to an empty house. Who likes that in general? (If you live with roommates) But you would think after a long, tiring, weekend I would be stoked! Well...its nice and quiet

...but I miss my kids!

What a crazy realization that I am 100% fully and completely in the perfect job. For how long? Who knows! But I absolutely L O V E these transition age youth. I love everything about them: their stories, their jokes, their ghetto-ness, their smiles, their tears, and their hearts. I spent all weekend with 'em. I miss 'em already.

To sum up a very FUN. AMAZING. and EXCITING week/weekend, I went up to Sacramento for a youth conference about advocacy! The organization is California Coalition for Youth and I'm thinking about applying to sit on their board of directors. I took 2 of my kids from my program and both were stoked to go. We laughed, we sat in conferences, we saw some KiNgs play, we sat in jacuzzis, swam in the pool, walked to the Capitol, talked with Marty Block and other legislative staff, ate lots of food, and spents lots of quality time. I usually meet with my kids (on average) once a week with maybe a phone call in between because they are college kids and for the most part, pretty self-sufficient. Therefore, I was kind of nervous (is that the right word?) about having so much time together. Its like...you either gonna love 'em or you're gonna hate 'em by the time the conference is over....and I. just. freaking. love. them.

My girl I brought was pretty clingy to me and at first, I have to admit, I was kind of annoyed. Then... it dawned on me. She really wanted to hang out, she wanted to talk and tell me all about her, she wanted love, she wanted attention, she wanted guidance. She wanted more of me. It was really interesting to watch this all play out but let me tell you, after a 4 hour conversation last night following the many others... I think all the beans got spilled. :) Tears. Laughs. and God made all that over-time worth it. Its like adrenaline starts pumping through my veins when people start letting walls down. I get this surge of LIFE and energy and PASSION and it feeds me. I. love. people. I love loving broken kids! I will never stop loving them! They need love. Real. Love.

After notes back and forth during seminars about God. Questions. Concerns and Long Conversations of me explaining that God is the only thing that can filling our longing souls for love, relationships, intimacy, our weekend ended with her telling me on the plane today that she stayed up last night "reading the same thing you probably were. The bible" (I showed her mine and told her to start in John)

...I don't think I can describe the eternal reward for this moment but the tears are filling my eyes now as I pray for her delicate, torn heart to be pieced back together by The One and Only Healer of all.

Work and Margaritas

There's something to say about working overtime without getting paid...and not minding that.

I love my job.

...and margaritas.

She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

I am your friend, your partner
I am here to help you and make you stronger.
A am full of good hard work and sweat
Something you do, you will never regret.
When you come back to me, I cut you slack
I love you, but do you love me back?

The Gym

Marvelous Mondays

Things I enjoyed today:

1. Renting Books From the Library (and Gardeners)



2. Wearing sunglasses after I get off work (and feeling like its 3pm)



3. This Car (and the color purple)

Saving Daylight... Why do we do this?

It doesn't take much for me to consider you a great weekend, I mean, I'm pretty easy to please.

This was Saturday & Sunday for ya...

1. Shopping: Check! (2 jackets, New MAC eye liner, brush and some Hair Products later)
2. Relaxing: Check! (Love some down time)
3. Family & Friends: Check! (Saturday night with some of my girls & Chipotle and a nice talk with my parents!)
4. JESUS: Check! (Found an awesome church that I think might be home)*
5. Exercise: Check! (Hike to Cowles this afternoon was so beautiful)

I'm feeling pretty good about Monday. With a nice weekend like this under my belt, Monday shouldn't have any CODM affects on me. I'm looking forward to next weekend and my trip to Sacramento for the Taking Action 2010 Conference with my youth! I'm way stoked but even before that, we have a Ladies Night this Friday with our girls focusing on Healthy Relationships. Rubios, I Can Do Bad All By Myself and some fun conversation will make for nothing less than a good story. :)

Its already 8:30?!? Oh yeah...we saved some daylight for later. I better not feel how I did this morning, tomorrow! (7:20a was a little too ambitious)

* http://www.newbreak.org/

Can't we ever just have a salat or somesing?

What do you get when you mix broccoli, apple slices, advocado, bits of monteray jack cheese, sweet tender chicken chunks and caesar dressing? Strawberries? ...An AMAZING SALAT!* Salads are SO GOOD! Praise God!

For a while, I was like "if I see one more leafy green thing, I might gag" so I was eating anything but salads. I'm pleased to announce...My love has returned. Ok so I know Caesar dressing is not like the "skinny girl dressing" but shoot, its good. Any salad topped with caesar dressing (Girards to be exact) is perfection. I've been totally into fruit and since I had marinated my chicken (Which was totally nast when I ate it with plain brown rice) in teriyaki sauce...It turned out to be a great sweet combination! Yum! Ok...enough about salats.

Today was another "Laughing until the tears are streaming down your face" kind of day at work. Ahh. :) I think what did it today was the 20 minute conversation at the end of the day sharing cat stories. I had about 9 of my own and my bosses and co-workers combined with some ridiculous stories from the show "Hoarders," which he loves, created the laugh-fest! One of my co-workers abhors cats and I couldn't even finish the story about running over our cat's tail that left a skid mark without tears streaming down my face. I love laughing...its medicine to my soul. I personally think it needs to be apart of every work day to even balance the other side of our work. With budget cuts on the horizon, things have the potential to be grey around the office.

The situation: In social services, it all comes down to funding. Programs either get funding or they don't. Our budget is now on the chopping block due to the proposed budget eliminating the entire THP+ program this coming fiscal year (July). Bummer. You know what's incredible cool though?

I rest in the peace and plans of my Savior and King. I was realizing last night that in times of trial (or potential trial) God completely delights Himself in being our strength. God works in all situations of our lives, but there is something very special about being at the complete mercy of God's strength and power. Desperation frees us to cling to the One and Only thing that we need, never get enough of. Oh may God draw me closer as I learn to trust in His good plans for my life!

God willing, we will find out around April what our job situation looks like and about how many youth we serve will be instantly homeless. Needless to say, I'm praying for some funding.

On a fun note, I got chosen to represent our agency with two of my service partners at the Taking Action Conference 2010 in Sacramento! We will be flying up there March 21st, staying in the Embassy Suites, hitting up a Kings game (my boys!) and marching to the capitol to speak with legislators and Senate/Assembly members about youth programs and budget cuts that will impact these programs. We are hoping to voice our opinions about the new proposed budget...and make a difference. It will be an awesome time with my kids and a fun trip! I hope to sneak in some time to see the family too, if I can. :)

Well I'm off to study some of God's word in my Beth Moore study. More revelations later...
Trust Him with you life, Beloved!


*Nacho Libre

The Perfect Age

Blog, bloggity blog...what to write about? Oh! I turned 25!

I didn't even know it because this week was spent ditching and dodging a darn cold! I worked last weekend (all weekend I might add) with 20 little kids up at Harrahs, babysittin' for some sweet cash. The end result...$300 paycheck and a cold. :( I also think one of my kids had strep last time we met for case management. Awesome!

I'm a pretty good fighter though because as I sit here, I'm feeling great! Not so good this morning at work but I think my spirits are lifted as I'm lounging after a great dinner with friends on a Friday night. I'm getting pretty excited for some rainy birthday celebrations tomorrow night...but before that, let's recap my actual birthday on Wednesday.

March 3, 2010 I turned Twenty-Five.

Yep, quarter of a century and I feel as young as ever! After my 40 year old boss said "Happy birthday" he said ..."and if I hear any comments about getting old, they won't be without a rolling of my eyes."

I'm young friends... YOUNG! 30 is the new 20 and I'm not even in the late twenties yet. Nope, right smack dab in the middle. "The Perfect Age" as my boss describes it. Lots of people seemed to add to their birthday wish that "this was going to be my year." Not sure what that means, but I like it.

Wednesday was great...first thing my co-workers said was "Happy Birthday" [Always good when they remember] I got an awesome free mexican lunch and after work two of my best friends and I went to Babycakes in Hillcrest for a birthday cupcake and a coffee. What could be sweeter? :) We talked the night away and stayed out late* All in all, a great way to bring in the Perfect Age.

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to a morning rain hike with the roomies. Its predicted to rain, but we decided RAIN or shine...we're hittin' Torrey Pines. Then (my latest idea) of a pedicure directly following the hike...how awesome to just cruise right in there and peel off those socks? HA! jk, I'll shower first. Then maybe take a nap, watch a movie, read a book, etc. etc. then begin getting ready for dinner out with all the good friends! I'm very thankful for all of the great people in my life and I'm excited to share my bday party with none other than my roomie, Kamar. Her birthday is the 25th (like my mom!) so we are joining our birthdays. My goal is to make memories, take some dang pictures and enjoy the Perfect Age. I only get this age for one year...I better make the most of it!

[25.The Best Year Ever including a list of goals coming soon] :)

For now, its off to continue fighting the cold so I can get some beauty rest for the fun events tomorrow.

*late=10pm

Peace & Love,

The Gym at 6am isn't fun.

SOO my co-worker Kelly texted me last night about hittin the gym early this morning. I said I was down, not really knowing what I was signing up for, but I'm usually one to think "nothing can be that bad. Right?"

6am. The gym?? What was I thinking? List of reasons why I probably won't do this again.

1. Not a "6am" person. Never have, never will be.
2. Anything that requires mental capacities more extensive then stumbling to the bathroom and turning on the coffee pot are just too much for me at 6am.
3. Self Motivation? NONE at 6am
4. Falling asleep on the way to work at like 8:40AM because you were up at 6am... not so good
5. 6am is a good TWO hours before I usually wake up. Bad news Bears

Ha! I'm not totally anti trying this again but I think it will have to be outdoors! Walking, luging, hiking, canoeing, long-distance skiing, underwater basket-weaving... All of these things would be better than the gym at 6am.

Trader Joes

Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. Delish.

Today, my co-workers and I went to lunch at a delicious place called Tender Greens in Point Loma. It was a nice, fun little outing to celebrate a birthday and after lunch we all had this sudden craving for cookies (Not a rare occurence). Trader Joes happened to be right there so we meandered in. (I could easily spend about 3 hours in there, but as we were working, we made it pretty quick) I remembered that a friend had suggested the veg. choc. cookies so in my head I planned to buy 1 bag and share them with everyone... When we came out of the store we each had our own bag and some chocolate bars! Hilarious. We bought oatmeal chocolate chip, cranberry & flax seed, flourless chocolate hazelnut and molasses. Overkill? Naw!

Today, work was awesome. I met with three of my girls and each meeting was just so fun! They were encouraging, funny and a nice mid-week reminder of why I love my job. My job is full of all my favorite things: mentoring, coaching, encouraging and sparking growth...all of which seemed to happen today! To end my day, I stayed late chatting with a co-worker about life, church, relationships. Yay!

I'm now sitting in my pajamas (my routine second outfit of the day), watching american idol, thinking about starting my bible study sometime soon. The gym was supposed to happen as well, but thats ok... My co-worker and I are taking that beast on tomorrow at 6am. Bring it on.

Adios for now, or "Go Away!" [Nacho Libre]

Pigeons, Lambs. I LOVE GOD'S WORD.

Dang! The bible is FUN!

I know, most people wouldn't probably say that about the bible...but that means they probably haven't read the bible where you feel like you've walked through the dust of Nazareth or actually heard the cries of Jesus. Beth Moore: I love this woman. I feel like I meet with her each day as my mentor, even though its through a devotional she wrote back in 2002! What a blessing she has been to my life, even though I know the true blessing has been in God's Word, I am just so thankful for a woman to help me understand it! I am going through the study "Jesus, the One and Only" with a group of my close friends on Thursday nights and I can't even begin to tell you how influencial this study has been in my life. I highly suggest every woman study one of hers some day. Whether or not its your cup of tea, I think the valuable take-away would be how to really study God's word with a fresh set of eyes and a renewed heart. I used to read the bible more for comfort or encouragement and honestly...sometimes I wouldn't even remember what I read. I can now say I picture what went on, understand more of the reason why it was written and can imagine in my head the incredible stories that I've heard my whole life. How fun it can be!

This weekend was awesome, as I was in Boulder, CO for ADX Convention. (I will post later about that) but my dear friend and I were in TEARS laughing about something we had learned through our study! All I can say is who knew pigeons could be so hilarious. :)



Well I'll leave you with just a taste, as I have this BM quote on my computer at work...

"Time and time again I am struck by how divine the story of the Gospel is. It did not originate in the human mind. No man could invent something so beautiful."

[I know this picture is terrible, but I just couldn't resist ;)]

Oh How He Loves!

Well, I realize my last entry was about CODM and I haven't blogged since then. My friend pointed out that "I must have had a bad case of the Mondays!"

Actually, this week was dedicated to practicing for the Open Mic Night Haiti Benefit show last night at Alpha Delta Chi. The funny thing is, I actually had a post-it on my computer saying, "Practice Music" to remind me. You know, I was talking with a dear friend last night about spiritual gifts and that I feel like even though God has given me the gift of music, I am still called to cultivate that. Discipline is always something I'm working on in my life and in music, its the same. I've realized over the years, it takes: TIME, ENERGY, EFFORT and DISCIPLINE to be a good musician. Ugh. I have to remind myself, this is for God's glory and I've come to enjoy the process.

Well, on Tuesday night, my girl "Twilight" or Catherina came over around 7:30ish and we jammed until midnight. On a weekend...you know thats some dedication. It was a blast though! We let the creative juices flow, listened, played, wrote and re-wrote bridges. I need to do this more often. I'm so blessed to know a girl so musically talented and who has an ear to critique and make suggestions. I plan to jam with her on a regular basis. (Twilight, you down?!)

Thanks to my incredible parents, I have some ridiculously cool practice/recording equipment and we busted it all out! For those who aren't too familiar, it is a TC Near Interface, which is basically converting the music into what sounds like "being plugged into an amp." I route the music through the Interface to my Mac Book, plugging both my guitar and mic into the Interface to hear myself plugged in. You can practice and record, using some recording software (Garageband). I'm focusing on just practicing this way, in order to improve my vocals primarily. Some day, I'll record some stuff. Hopefully after I've written a few more songs!

Well here are some pics of what the living room looked like. *(I don't know why they are so small, sorry)



Here's my drummer, twilight. She's rad.



Well after we had practiced through the set list, it was finalized as follows:
Sweet Love of Jesus -Original
Magic -Colbie Caillait
How He Loves -John McMillan

On to Last Night! ADX hosted a "Help for Haiti" event featuring many local artists, some great food, and many awesome people! So many talented people were there! So many people in general! I would estimate around 150. What an awesome opportunity to raise money for a country in need of financial resources, along with the straight Love of Jesus. I pray what we raised (over $800) will be multiplied and go to furthering The Kingdom. Here are a few pictures from the night...



My number 1 Fans







Well, thats a wrap. Such a long post. (Had to make up for lost time)
Thanks for reading. You all rock.

Oh How He Loves!

CODM

Well first off, this is privileged information that is only to be known between me and one of my bfs*, but heck... why not share the love with you all! Feel free to use the following term at your leisure, I give you permission. :)

So, let's get down to the nitty griiitty:

CODM is the official term for "Case of Da Mondays" There are several qualifying factors, I will list a few below. [Note: this list does not include ALL factors...an exhaustive list would take too much time to create but could include anything from spilling your coffee on yourself to sleeping through work all together!]

+Staff Meetings over the 1 hour time limit
+Meetings in general
+Bosses with CODM
+Overbearing bosses
+Long-winded co-workers
+Exhaustion
+Lack of caffeinated beverages
+Lack of "good jams"
+Too many clients
+Too many crazy clients

That covers enough for now. We've all been there. We've all experienced CODM in some form or another, so raise your caffeinated beverages and toast to the only CURE out there!



Amen?

Reference/Co-Author of the term CODM:
*Heather Renee Fuller

BOOTS

Can't a girl with a mere size 12 shoe find some dang BOOTS in this world?!?!?!

Help.

SOS.

God, Whyyyyyyyyyy?


:(

What makes a great day?

Well many things could make my day great, but here are a few of the things that happened today to bring in the weekend with a smile on my face.

1. Coffee/Cutters Point: Pretty much anytime I have a break in the day, I can easily find a way to sneak in a trip to my local (or Starbucks because its convenient) coffee shop. Today, I decided to stop in Cutters. I love the place because of its feel mostly...well and their white mochas. :) I always feel like I see at least one person reading their bible in there... That's just stellar. It brings a smile to my face and a breath of fresh air to my soul! It makes me crave Jesus, like I crave coffee. (I know, I shouldn't be able to use that analogy so well)

2. Tears-streaming-down-your-face-kind-of-laughter at work. God is so rad to give us a sense of humor. What in the WORLD would you do without laughter? Working in social services...? Um, I'd be on meds right now if I couldn't laugh my way through the day. Can't really remember what it was about, but it's becoming a common occurence around the workplace lately... and I'M LOVING IT.

3. Getting off early. I'm loving my job, but there is nothing like bouncing out early on Friday to miss traffic (sort-of) and start your weekend even as much as an HOUR early! YES

4. Card with Cash. I get home to find the only piece of mail with my name on it and the sender being Mom. The card read that we started as mother and daughter and turned out to be friends. My heart is full. I then find a check for a CHUNK of money with strict orders to spend on a "new outfit or boots"...not bills. Who has parents like mine?? Lord, You never just provide...You lavish!

5. Friends, the Oldies but Goodies. My ADX girls, both old and young, alumni and active are near and dear to my heart and will never be replaced. My time in college was absolutely priceless and the JOY I see and feel when I'm around these ladies is overwhelming. Lord, thank you for dropping me into the world of ADX, having no idea it would have such a lasting impact on my relationship with You. I'm forever grateful.

That, my friends/readers/fellow bloggers, was a Great Day!

Smiling my way to sleep...

American Idol... and things like that

OK. First order of business. AMERICAN IDOL: What kind of show are you?? A reality TV show? A claim to fame? A freakin' circus event or a real talent show? I'm not sure anymore. But I guess there is still something on the show that makes me laugh...therefore I still watch.

Exhibit A:
"Head turned sideways. Gold in my mouth. Lookin' like a fool wit my pants on the ground." ps. his pants were on...

But seriously, I am still trying to figure out the motivation behind trying out for that show. I'm prettttty sure most of the time its just to get your 30 seconds on TV but then there are those few... the ones that scare me.

Anyways, enough of the tomfoolery! Today was a great day! Started at 9am (nothing too out of the ordinary) and ended roughly around 5:30pm. I know... craziness! Naw, I had some good laughs with co-workers and thats always a recipe for a good day! My job doesn't feel like work anymore, that is a cool feeling. Then I made my way over to the gym [NOTE: despite the fact that I was tired and hungry!] and went to the spin class! Its not a real spin class if your butt isn't sore and your shirt is 100% wet. I always go into Target after I work out... Its like part of my work-out. But today I thought, "Hey target friends! Here I am again in my awesome work-out garb. Hope its inspirational!"

Well, I'm feeling the BP. Not blood pressure...BLOG pressure. I think I now have a couple (2) of followers and now its like, I have to post. I can't just skip a couple weeks and not record that part of my life! That would be insanity! So, to all my followers... I will do my best. Can't promise a blog a day or even every other day, but I WILL keep you updated on my exciting, blessed life. ;)

Love you all!

A Day in the Life

Its actually pretty funny the responses you get when you say you are a "Social Worker" or "Work in Social Services.", which is how I like to explain my career. The usual response is something empathetic like, "Wow. That must be hard.. work.." or sometimes when people want to say "That sucks" instead they say, "Ohhhh."

It doesn't bother me anymore, now it just makes me laugh! When I think about it, I would respond the same way. Like who wants to work in the system and try to "fix kids" that seem unfixable. Well lucky for me, I believe in the very Life Changing Power of Jesus Christ. He can do anything! I really don't know why someone would want to work in this field without that.

Todays highlight: I met a little 5 day old baby that one of my "kids" (22 year old) just brought into this world. I was watching her sit there, holding him... Wow, life is a miracle! He is so tiny but with really BIG hands and feet! How sweet his precious life is to Jesus. I'm so glad she decided to bring him out of the womb. Sometimes my kids decide not to.

Usually Mondays are FUN-days because our answering machines are filled with interesting messages and for some odd reason its like the "kids" [NOTE: my "kids" are between 18-24 year old former foster youth. They aren't really kids.] missed us and want to provide LOTS for us to do on Mondays! (sarcasm...) I usually don't mind it because I like to be prepared. I usually prepare myself for a disaster and when its anything less, well, What a Blessing!

Today wasn't too bad... it consisted of some moving chaos. AKA County social workers calling numerous times upset that we hadn't furnished kids' apartments. A message from a landlord that one of my kids got into a huge fight over the weekend and used her baby as a shield, therefore dropping the child. CPS report tomorrow. :( Ending around 7:45pm with a community meeting with many "Opinions and personal statements" If you know me, I hate meetings that run too long, get off topic or have a severe lack of structure. Its like a pet peeve or something. My favorite professor in college told us "Never have a meeting without a purpose." Why do social workers like not get this?? Hmm.

Well to wrap it up, I'm hiding in my room while my roommate has her small group. I like overhearing comments about what God is doing in people's lives. Sweetness. Now I'm signing off.

That was a day in the life, my friends.

Grace like Rain.

Well, this is my first blog! Yay! I'm excited to share some thoughts, make some people laugh (hopefully) and explore some creative sides of my life. I love reading other blogs by friends or musicians, so I hope this will prove to be worth your time as well.

So, Its been raining lately. A LOT. Its weird because... I live in San Diego? This must be how Seattle feels. Usually I get super annoyed and complain with comments like "Ugh. I hate the rain" or "My hair!" or "I don't even have shoes to wear" ...You get the point. But this time, there is something different. This rain is fierce. Its like no other and for some reason it really reminds me of God's grace. Instead of seeing this "great inconvenience," I've been watching it as a torrential downpour of God's grace... unceasing, never endling and Life Giving. We are in the midst of Grace and forget all the time that we don't deserve it or could never earn it. We have life because God was merciful towards us and brought redemption through His Son. I don't know about you, but this sort of blows my mind.

Hallelujah, Grace like rain falls down on me!
Mad Love.