Dance all night, there's no end in sight

Okay, here I go. God is SO good. It's been really easy for me to forget that I'm only where I'm at right now because God made all the little things fall into place. I just finished my first phase of training at work. I'll actually miss training a lot because our trainer was amazing and the three of us who were being trained had a blast together. Now I move to phase 2--answering live calls all day every day.

It's an incredible job. Every day I answer a 911 line that connects people to the help they need. Sometimes we save lives. It's MUCH more difficult than I thought it'd be, but it's also really exciting. So starting tomorrow I'm working full 10-hour days. woooo

I just e-mailed someone at church about finding a new community group....I'm SO excited about that.

I should be moving into an apartment in early October. !!!!!

I heard from the soldier I adopted and I'm blown away by how much he appreciates the little things that we do. It's such a rewarding thing. 

I was doing SO well about posting. I'm still alive, I promise. I started working about 2 1/2 weeks ago and LOVE my job. The bummer is that I don't have internet access at the house right now, hence the rare updates. But someday I'll get access and write a nice little post. Don't worry--I haven't forgotten about you all :)

Just breathe in the air, and blink in the light

Today.

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." 

So much is happening. all the time, every day. Classes, work, driving, running errands, seeing friends, it's easy to get caught up in doing life. But how often are we really thankful for today? How often do we waste time--the precious time we're given. Funny story is that I'm thinking about this for 2 reasons. One, I've been wasting time watching Grey's Anatomy and watching fictional characters whose lives are altered unexpectedly all the time. And two, 3 Special Forces Marine soldiers were killed today. 

When I found out that 3 soldiers were killed, before I knew they were Marines, my heart almost stopped. You see, this afternoon I just went shopping for my adopted soldier's August care package. A few weeks ago I sent brownies to a soldier friend who has been going through some really rough times. And today I got my first e-pal soldier's contact info. Before I started working with Soldier's Angels, the war in Afghanistan was just something that I heard about on the news. Now, I'm invested in the lives of three courageous men who are fighting and sacrificing every day so that we have the freedom to sit on our bums and waste life.

That doesn't seem right to me.

I'm not saying we have to do something brilliant every single moment of every single day, but I know I can at least do something every day. Maybe it's speaking Jesus into someone's life at a coffee date. Maybe it's writing an encouraging Facebook post on someone's wall. Maybe it's sending that care package to a soldier. It could even be giving grace to someone I'm frustrated with. I just know I want to stop doing life and start living in a way that is worthy of the gifts I have been given.

What did you do today?

My Back to School care package :)

I'm addicted and I just can't get enough

I love Pinterest. Especially now, as I'm starting to figure out what I want my apartment to look/be like. One brilliant thing I found is the blog Blissful and Domestic. She gives wonderful ideas for how to live on a budget. This shall be my project when I start working next week. I figure, I'll have 2 months to plan a budget, work on shopping at thrift stores for stuff, and get in a routine before I move and throw a wrench in everything.

Right now, the plan is to hit Ikea after I see the actual space I'll be living in. I've already assembled a pallet TV stand, ransacked Value Village for kitchen stuff, and repaired my little old car's broken parts all by myself (with a little help from my dad and 1A Auto). I think the next thing on my to-do list will be these:

http://www.thegirlinspired.com/2011/07/instant-gratification-canvas-photo-diy.html

DIY canvas photos. I plan on having pictures everywhere in my house, so this is awesome. Between those and these:

http://diy-vintage-chic.blogspot.com/2012/06/transfer-image-to-wood-tutorial.html

there will be pictures EVERYWHERE!!! And thus, I am excited.

And then, there's these:
 I'm thinking living room material?

Oh, I also decided that my kitchen will be coffee-themed, and my bathroom will be duck-themed. very excited.

There's no reason you should ever have your head down

Ok, this is really cool. I can't believe I haven't posted about it yet. One of my favorite TV shows is Army Wives. I dunno why, I just like it. On one episode they mentioned penpals for deployed soldiers. I thought "that's kinda cool..." and googled it. That's how I found Soldier's Angels.

So, soldiers who are deployed and never get mail or care packages from people back home are entered into a database...either by commanding officers or the soldiers themselves. Then, people in the States can "adopt" one! We send 1 letter every week and 1 care package every month. It might seem like a big commitment, but really these guys and gals are putting their lives on hold for our freedom. and it's fun! 

I was assigned a guy in the Army who is in the Middle East. Soldier's Angels says going into it that you probably won't hear back from your soldier since they're so busy. I haven't heard from mine, but still I get really excited when I think that someone's day might be made a little brighter by such a simple act. 

If you want a ministry, just think about this one!

If you are chilly, here take my sweater

It's been a while, I know...I'm sorry.

2 weeks ago, my wonderful friend Laura married the man of her dreams. Laura's wedding was gorgeous, and I was reminded again of how beautiful marriage can be. There have been SO many weddings and engagements this summer. It has lead to many conversations about marriage and love with some of my friends. All I can say is I know it will be a challenge, but I'm looking forward to being on mission with whatever man God has planned for me. 

Speaking of engagements, one of my favorite people, Caroline, got engaged a few weeks ago. This is one wedding that I am BEYOND excited for. Caroline lives in Chicago and goes to college in Michigan. I flew out to meet her-then-boyfriend, Jack and to hang out with Caroline. Let me tell you, I was so nervous about meeting him. What if I didn't like him? What if there was just something weird about him? What if he didn't like me? He and I ended up having a little witty banter argument like Caro and I did all the time. All I remember is he got the better of me in the "argument" and that's when I knew he was the right guy for her. Now they're getting married in June. Yay. :)

I also got to spend 4 days in Eburg with these ladies and Shannon. It was such a great time, and God repaired a very strained friendship with one of them. Plus, I got to go home and see all my friends from school!!

Oh yeah, and about a week ago, I accepted a job offer. No big deal. My new hometown has a Mars Hill Church and a guide dog group, so I'm set.

Now, I just get to make sure I see everyone before I leave.

All of these are evidences of God's amazing grace and love. I'm so humbled.

Calm in the storm

Last night at 10pm, Hollie and I lined up to see the premiere of the 3rd Batman movie. Little did we know that about an hour later, people watching the same movie in Colorado would be in the midst of a shooting.

It's still kind of surreal. Facebook is full of posts about how guns should be banned. Petitions are being signed, and so many people are angry. More than anything, I'm sad. Sad that someone would get to a place in his life that he would do something like this. Sad for the families of the 12 dead movie-goers, and for the family of the gunman. Sad that things like this are used as fuel on the "anti-gun" fire. Sad when I think of how many people must feel hopelessness and intense grief.

I found this article posted on Facebook today. It's from a woman who was there and she talks about how God is merciful even in the midst of stuff like this. How cool is that. Sure, there were some snarky comments by readers about how useless religion is (okay, really people? You're entitled to your own beliefs....but she is too...so why attack her beliefs when she doesn't attack yours? *rant ended*), but it's still a beautiful post about God's love and his nature. Read it if you get a chance.