A good book

Ok, my two week post-vacation hiatus is over. There was a lot to catch up on for those couple weeks. But I am back and ready to go...

Now that I am not longer in college I have grown rather fond of books. They no longer represent a responsibility, but a joy. There is something about a good book that is just so refreshing. I never thought of myself as much of a reader, growing up or in college, but now as I continue to develop my writing I seem to enjoy good literature just that much more.

One problem I do have when I read is starting too many books at one time. Most likely I am reading 3 different books at a time. Yet, I think that is somewhat representative of my life at this point. I am usually not focused on one specific thing, but multiple. I may have a slight case of ADD there, but oh well.

Anyway, with technology constantly bombarding my life and a job where I continuously stare at a computer screen, I really love opening a book, reading the words and flipping the pages. I get a lot of satisfaction out of seeing how much I've read, let alone the story itself. There is something wonderful about getting lost in the pages of a book and leaving everything else behind.

There truly is nothing better than a rainy day, a blanket, a cup of coffee and a great read. I want to share with you the three books currently grabbing my attention.

My mom recommended this one. I've heard good things from lots of people, so I am excited to get more into it!

If you've never read a Mitch Albom book, you're missing out. He also wrote Tuesdays With Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven. I absolutely love his stories and the way he writes. They're an easy read and usually tug at the heart strings, but its definitely worth it!

One Thousand Gifts was recommended to me by a dear friend who knows my appreciation for good writing. I've just started this one, but so far its a challenging book that looks at the human relationship with God....my favorite kind!








Grab a new book and rip open the pages...enjoy the simplicity of a good story!

PS- I'm always open to new book suggestions...so please share

Sometimes all you need is a good quote...

Every day that we wake up is a good day. Every breath that we take is filled with hope for a better day. Every word that we speak is a chance to change what is bad into something good.
~ Walter Mosley

Bahama Bound

So, I don't really have a lot to say today except for the fact that I'm just excited to go on vacation. I felt the need to post a blog instead of finishing up packing. It's not as if I don't already have enough trouble packing. I'm a really bad packer.

Let me rephrase that....I'm a really good packer. I just have a tendency to pack a lot of things. I have a really hard time making a decision ahead of time, especially with shoes. Oh man...shoes...

I usually think that I'll need all the things I never wear or use "just in case" but I never do and I usually end up not needing a lot of it. At least I've learned that about myself and I have accepted the fact that yes...I'll probably pack a lot of things I may not need. *Sigh* Oh well.

But a thought that keeps coming into my head today is the concept of trust, in all forms. Trust in God's plan, trust in others, trust in my own feelings and opinions. But in thinking about this, two verses keep coming to my mind.

Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart, lean not on your own understating but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will set your path straight.
~Proverbs 3:5-6

For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
~Jeremiah 29:11

So, today...let's learn to trust. That's my goal at least!

And for now...I'm officially on vacation :)

Good Soul Music

Every now and then I hear a song and just get obsessed with it, playing it over and over again...literally. Well, I happen to come across one of those songs this past week. It resonated so much with my heart and the lives of those around me right now that I just can't stop listening to it and singing unnecessarily loudly in the car when it comes on because...I do sing loudly.

 It talks about the blessings of God and what that can look like and how often we don't recognize many of those blessings. When I first heard the song, I thought it was such a sad song. But the the more I listen to it, the more my heart just rejoices and agrees with what is said. Take a look at the lyrics and listen to it for yourself (click on the album cover).  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Blessings by Laura Story

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
And 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
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

I love music. But I love even more when music speaks to the soul. There is nothing better than a song that speaks the language of your heart. I just love it...

Happy Friday:)

Road trip...Yes, please!

There is nothing that I love more than a good adventure. 

Well, this past weekend Jake and I celebrated our one year anniversary. Yay! My gift was a random road trip. Two big thumbs up!

Our destination was unknown, but I was given 5 envelopes each with a map in it. My random selection resulted in a trip to...WEST VIRGINIA. Yes, random location, but there is nothing better than an open road, no schedule or no actual destination. 

It began in Indiana. We started with the GPS but turned it off once we got on I-74 East. We used maps for the majority of the trip. Old school I know. It was awesome. It was so fun navigating our own way. Something about the simplicity of it all was refreshing. 

First stop... Warm Glow Candle Outlet. Any significance? No but every time I drive on this road I see this giant candle and since there was time to stop. We did. And its exactly what you'd think; a lot of candles, home decor, and knickknacks. It was cute.

Hit traffic about half way to Columbus. Semi slid off the road. This is what it looked like.

 The joys of a I-74 traffic jam. We ended up doing the same thing as the red truck. It was tough for the little Elantra, but she handled the off roading pretty well. And we were on our way again.

 Lunch time in Columbus, OH. Our original destination ended up being closed. So we resorted to our second choice. The Thurman Cafe. However, the lunch wait was an hour and a half. Apparently this is a bigger deal than we realized. And as much as we would have loved to wait over an hour for a burger, we opted out. Then came our third option. It only became an option after we UrbanSpoon'ed it. So, we ate at Lindey's. Not what we thought. Food was good. But, we definitely felt a bit out of place. Oh well, we ate.

 It was a German area. Cute and quaint. All brick streets. My favorite type.

This is where there is a break in pictures. I didn't take the camera out during the next leg of the trip. A few hours and hills later, we landed in Charleston, West Virginia. Charleston is the capital of West Virginia and also its largest city. It was green there, and there were hills. I call them mountains, but am corrected, as they are merely hills. Very different than Indiana. We shopped, drove around, ate some awesome fish tacos and listened to a DJ spin records at an authentic Charleston restaurant called Tricky Fish. Delicious and so fun.

 Jumped back in the car after a big breakfast and then headed west toward Kentucky, where we saw cows right next to the gas station. We then got to stop in Morehead to see one of my best friends (and soon to be sisiter-in-law) Kayli, which was a great surprise addition to the trip.

A few hundred mile later we found, ourselves in Cincinnati eating really delicious ribs at Montgomery Inn Restaurant. If you even remotely like bbq or ribs...do yourself a favor and drive to Cincy to eat some ribs. You won't be sorry. They're incredible. Finished off with some Graeters ice cream and jumped in the car for the final hours. Three tanks of gas later, we were back home in Indiana. After an incredible random celebration with my best buddy, it was great to enjoy the simplicity of home.

Because like Dorthy says 

"There is no place like home, there is no place like home."

Friday, Friday, Friday

So it's Friday. Yay! I think I have been ready for Friday since Monday at 8:30 a.m. But that's ok. It's here now and that's what important!

But really...what a busy week it's been. Sometimes it amazes me how much time it takes to get things done. I used to never understand what working individuals meant by "there just aren't enough hours in the day." I never really could have imaged that there was really that much work to do in one day...welp...I have now learned. I understand that fully and I often live in the phrase.

My challenge has been to learn how to stay simplified when work gets crazy. Never, do I want to become someone who runs all day at work and doesn't enjoy a single bit of it. Because the reality is...you're going to get up the next morning and do the exact same thing. There has to be time to enjoy what you're doing...or at least not be stressed out by it all the time.

We live in a culture that disagrees with that statement. We live in a culture that tells us the more productive we are, the more valuable we are. True to some degree. But what about your quality of life? When does that come into play? When we retire?

Sorry, but I refuse to wait until I'm 65 to enjoy my life. Life was created to be enjoyed...not survived.

A part of last Sunday's sermon stated..."Rest is a gift. God wants us to experience rest."

Well...I'm sold...I'm not saying I'm good at it...finding time to rest...but everyday I try a little harder.

So for your Friday...enjoy and get some rest. And imagine you are here...in the mountains

Or here...

 

 

the beach with friends or...

My personal favorite espresso in Paris

Monday Top 10's

Fact: I love lists.

I love making lists, I love it when things are in list format, I love checking things off of my lists. There is just something about it that helps simply my thought and my to do's. But I also really love making top 10 lists. These usually consist of just randomness. So for your lovely spring time Monday, here are a couple lists to enjoy!

Top 10 reasons I love spring
10. The smell of freshly cut grass
9. Fresh flowers
8. You can open the windows and not freeze
7. The sun comes back out
6. The birds start singing
5. It stays light longer
4. Baseball season
3. Going barefoot is deemed more appropriate
2. No more winter jackets
1. DRESSES!

Top 10 Things I plan/hope to do this spring
10. Go on at least one bike ride a week
9. Go camping
8. Bonfires. Lots of them.
7. Go to the Bahama's (only two and a half weeks...woo hoo)
6. Bake more.
5. Plant something...flowers maybe?
4. Make a bird house and then watch the birds that come. I'm thinking hummingbirds.
3. Start making aprons.
2. Sit on our balcony, drink coffee and read
1. Road trip

Now let's just hope I do them.

Spring is here, spring is here!!