Wow. It's been a while. I've missed this. By this , I mean jotting down ideas, editing, writing some more...then hitting that Publish Post button and putting my thoughts out there for all to read (and by all , I mean the precious 4 of you who read the things I post lol--love you!!). I've been in some sort of writer's-block-funk these last few weeks. I haven't had any new or original ideas that seemed worth writing about. I suppose I could write about the inordinate amount of Nutella I have consumed lately. It's ridiculous. And not at all healthy. And oh-so-yummy . I could write about the fact that school is out (can I get a " hallelujah "?!), I went home (my hometown) for a week, and I got to see part of my wonderful family and a few of my fabulous friends. I could write about how according to an application on my iPod Touch, the left hemisphere of my brain is most definitely dominant. I agreed with all of the reasons it listed up until i...

I am not superstitious. Really, I'm not. I'm cautious , but I'm not superstitious. I do, however, tend to not get my hopes up often. My sister and I are alike in this. We don't let ourselves get intensely excited about things or events coming up because we don't want to be let down if things fall through. I never thought much about that outlook on life until one day when I was talking to the boyfriend, and he said that was a sad way to think. And he was right. He was absolutely right. How can I, as a child of God, not have hope? I have a set of devotional cards on my desk at work, and I'm terrible about changing the cards. It's not laziness or lack of motivation; it's simply forgetfulness on my part. It sits right in front of me day after day (among the papers, the multiple stamps, the pink ink pad, the maroon stapler, the black tape dispenser, the daily planner, the whistle, the almost-empty jar of Nutella, the wicker basket of assorted writing utensi...

**I did not want to post this. I wrote this many weeks ago, and I stopped and started writing it several times because, really, it just felt so silly to post something so superficial. As this post's direction changed through those many writings, however, and became less about me expressing a struggle and a fault of mine, and more about the important things in life, I decided I would share it because maybe others struggle with this, too.** Beauty . The quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest). A friend of mine once wrote a post about being beautiful. I thought it was inspired (Go, Bethany!), and I truly can't get over the timing of that post. One day recently I was struggling with that very topic, and that oh-so-patient and wise boyf...

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” ~~Aristotle I've seen this quote in the stairwell at school every day for months now. I really like it. What do you think? Habits . We all have them. I use the word habit often (i.e. "Eating Nutella has become my favorite habit." Or, "You have a habit of interrupting me." Or, "Picking your nose is a bad habit." ), but like many words used in our language, it's a word that has several meanings, and who knows if I'm actually using it correctly?! Lately, I've wanted to understand the words that I'm using more deeply. I'm learning to truly respect the complexity of the English language. Enter in the handy, dandy dictionary . (Side note...I used to despise using the dictionary as an adolescent...I really just wanted someone to tell me what the word meant instead of taking my own sweet, precious time looking it up...hah! Lazy much?!) Habit (noun)~ ...

I have several go-to verses in God's word, but I think the book I turn to the most is James . The author speaks a great deal about trials and sufferings, and while those things aren't necessarily the makings of must-read literature , they certainly call out to me when it feels like things are up in the air. Some interesting things have happened lately, so I decided to jump back into James . As I was diving into the first chapter this morning (The Message version), a phrase struck me (not literally, good grief). See if it pops out at you. (How'd you like all those action verbs?! That's my shout-out to grammar!! Muah!) Ok, seriously, scroll on down and read the passage I was reading today. "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become matu...

*Disclaimer* I wrote this throughout the day, and it feels sort of jumbled, as if my thoughts were all over the place. I may go back later and edit it again. Hah! Anyway, I hope it makes some sense :). I'm a natural rule-follower. No, natural isn't the right word. I'm a self-driven rule-follower. I long to obey. God's law and man's . I want God to see and to know that I'm doing the right things. Sadly, embarrassingly , (it's stabbingly painful to my pride to admit this) I want others to see, too. I want them to know that I follow the rules, that I don't step outside the lines, that I stay safely inside this box I've placed around me. Deep down, I desire for others to understand that I'm trying desperately to lead a Godly life because...well...honestly, I'm afraid that if they don't see me doing those things, saying those things, then maybe, painfully- maybe, they will think terribly of me. Maybe just maybe, they wil...

I've been reading the musings of bloggers like MckMama , Angie , and Kelly for literally years now. I feel like I know those ladies in real life. In fact, I talk about them as if we're friends. I've cried when I've read about the difficult things in their lives, I've prayed for their children when they were severely ill, and I've praised God with them when He has generously bestowed blessing after blessing upon their families. They are excellent writers, and their writing pulls readers into their lives in an intimate way. They are genuine (or seem to be) with their feelings and thoughts, and I find that refreshing. That being said, I've never felt the urge or the calling to blog. I'm no writer; I'd rather read about the lives and thoughts and feelings of others than write about my own. Living in this texting/blogging/tweeting/facebooking world, I'm already self-centered enough; why would I want to draw more attention to myself?! The cons...