But I want to know why?

Last night as I was reading, I came across a verse that struck me. As I kept reading, I couldn't help my mind from going back and thinking about that verse. It says:

"You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before even a single day had passed."

~Psalm 139:16

Every moment was laid out before even a single day had pass...

Really?!? So, God knew that last night I would eat Banana Nut Cheerios for dinner? Or that today my morning meeting would get cancelled so I would have extra time to get work done? Or how in high school I would, once, get in trouble for "misinforming" my parents on where I was going ? Or that I would endure events as a child that altered the rest of my life?

I'm not trying to start a debate about free will and the choices we make. I completely believe that we as humans make decisions that can change and affect the outcome of our life. But what it does make me ponder is "why?" Why do we endure some of the bad things that are done to us? Were these moments laid out before even a single day had passed? Ok, so if they are....why?

I struggled back and forth, playing devils advocate in my own mind, basically arguing with myself. I'm sure if you were looking from afar, I would somewhat resemble Jan Brady in The Brady Bunch movie as she's having conversations in her head. Unfortunately, yeah, I do that too.

Click to listen to Jan's voices

As I was pondering this, a couple realizations came to me. First, maybe we aren't supposed to understand why, maybe that's not supposed to be part of our journey. (Not exactly the simple answer I was hoping for) and second another scripture came into my head.

"...the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

~2 Corinthians 1:4

Maybe the reason we experience those things, is so that we can be of comfort to others who go through similar experiences or that we can share in the truth that there is hope. There is hope that no matter what you go through in life, that you can get through it, get over it, rise above it and persevere.

I guess I'll never full understand, but that's going to have to be ok. Pretty simple.

Weekly Recap - List Form

I am thinking it is time for another set of lists! Yay! So here are my lists for this week.

Top Ten Best Moments of This Week  (Disclaimer: these are not in any order, just as I remember them)
10. No work on Monday
9. Spending Monday poolside (minus the intense sunburn)
8. My lunch date with Lisa
7. Glee concert with my best friend
6. Wednesday night dinner with Jake
5. Wearing dresses 4 out of 5 days
4. Watching the Bachelorette with the roomies
3. Frazier's Ice Cream
2. Celebrating Jake surviving his first official state survey
1. Girls weekend in Kentucky...I get to see my two college roommates and I can't wait!!

Top Ten Lessons/Insights I Learned This Week
10. Happiness is the by-product of an effort to make someone else happy. ~ Gretta Brooker Palmer
9. Being content is a choice.
8. So is joy...
7. If you get a sunburn, wearing pants hurts.
6. Do not broil garlic bread in the oven on high, it will burn and make the house smoke.
5. Shaving on a sunburn is a bad idea.
4. Action before attitude, just because I don't feel like it doesn't mean I shouldn't do something.
3. Sometimes you just have to do things without being asked.
2. No matter how hard I try, I will never do everything perfectly.
1. God has me exactly where He needs me to be right now.

I am truly excited about seeing some of my very best friends this weekend. No matter how old you get, it is still always great to get together with some of your best girlfriends to stay up late, eat junk food, talk about boys, clothes, shoes, and your hair. And enjoy some of the simple perks of being a girl! So that is what the next couple of days will be for me...some girl time.

Also, can I tell you all how much I'm in love with pinterest.com. Oh my goodness. It's my new favorite way to waste time. If you're on there, look me up and start following me. I'm addicted to it now! Actually...I'm going to go pin a few things right now...

Happy Weekend!

Not sure how I got here

If you would have told me about 7 or 8 years ago that when I was 24 this is where I would be in my life, I would have laughed in your face and told you that you were, in fact, crazy. Believe me when I say this, nothing in my life is even remotely close to what I thought I would be doing, especially that fact that I would be living in central Indiana. (I mean no disrespect in that, but where I'm from its not uncommon to hear a snicker when someone mentions being a Hoosier.)

As I was jamming along to my country radio station the on my way home from work, the new Darius Rucker song called "This" came on. It occurred to me how much of my life resonated with what he was saying.

I don't really know how I got here
But I'm sure glad that I did
And it's crazy to think that one little thing
Could've changed all of it

Believe me, I have no idea how I got to be where I am in my life, but I truly am glad that I did. God reminded me this week how so blessed I am with loving, caring people who surround me in my life. And if my life had gone as I'd planned I would have never met most of them.

  

 Thankfully, I have these people in my life and that I've made the mistakes I have that have led me to where I am now. If there is one thing that I have learned it is to "never say never." Every time I do that, I end up doing exactly what I said I wouldn't do. But I'm just so glad that God's plan is far more intricate than anything I could have ever come up with and that He is faithful to provide what it is that He has for me.

Despite all the struggles, and challenges that come across the path during this life, it worth it because it's led me here to all this.

Music Musings

As I've stated before, music speaks to my soul. So here are a couple of tunes that I've enjoyed recently.

The sun is out. Time to go enjoy it. Happy Friday :)

Just a mere Tuesday

It's a mere Tuesday evening. I honestly feel like it should be, at least, Thursday. I feel as this week has already had so much happen. And it's Tuesday.

It was a sit in my comfy clothes, watch a movie kind of night. So that's exactly what I did. Plus, we got new iPads for work so I just had to sit and try it out for a while. Bummer, right?!? Before I had ever see one, I said that iPads were pointless and were a waste of money. Honestly, it's pretty cool. So I take back my statement. I'd take one....just sayin'.

Back to the movie thought. I like to go to Blockbuster and buy movies when they are selling them 3 or 4 for $20. I feel less guilty about spending $20 bucks on 4 movies I will get to keep.

Last time, I purchased The Back Up Plan. I thought it would be a mindless chick flick and it pretty much was. However, there still managed to be a subtle message for me to hear, lingering at the crux of the plot.

It involves trust. You see, this is something I've been faced head on with recently. The concept of trust. In case you don't know me, I am a wee bit of a control freak...just a little bit though. I've always been pretty independent, which doesn't require a lot of trust because I pretty much did things on my own.


But, I've had to learn a new way. I'm learning, err trying to learn, how to let go and trust. This stems all the way from God to the people I help at work. Trust is a big deal and I think I've missed that for a while. So even in the simple things in life, such as a J LO chick flick, God can use it. You never know where He'll show up. Who knew my simple Blockbuster buy would provide so much insight.

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."  ~ Exodus 14:14

Where I'm from

We all come from somewhere. 

Sometimes we're not real thrilled with where we grew up, 

sometimes we think its the best place in the world.

I never noticed that where I'm from is any different than where everyone else is from until I went to college. Yes, I realized it was a small town, but there were lots of small towns so it didn't seem any different. It wasn't until a conversation my freshman year of college when someone asked how many people lived in my town that I realized. 

"350," I answered.

Silence. Shock. Wrenched faces.

"Thousand, right?!?" Ha. I laughed. Little did I know that there were some people who thought that everyone had a gas station in their town, or that everyone lived within five miles of a superstore. Nope. Not me. I live in a town that doesn't even have a stop light and where everyone really does know everyone...and their business! And let's be honest, we're all probably related.

 It took me a couple years to appreciate and realize the value of my small town upbringing. The beauty in the slow paced charm. Now living two hours away from my tiny town and grandparents farm, my heart aches for the simplicity that I grew up in. I often miss the wide open spaces, the smell of green, looking outside and seeing nothing but cornfields. Most of all I miss the warm, friendly faces and the love that surrounds you.

I miss the people...my family. 

 

I know that God has brought me to where I am for a reason and I am truly blessed by it, 

but nothing will ever replace home.

True Confession

True confession: 

Sometimes I wish I could have lived "back then." 

(And by "back then" I mean, the 1940's.)

Yes, I am aware that there was a war going on in those early years, but really...that's happening now. Anyway, times seemed simpler and more elegant. To me, there is something romantic about those years. Just imagine...girls being able to be girls. Big dresses, high heels, super cute hairstyles and full covered swimsuits were fashionable. How adorable! A time where femininity was embraced.

For example...Grace Kelly. She exudes femininity, poise, grace, beauty. Ah, what it would be like to be a princess. (Maybe I'm not past the royal wedding buzz yet).

Ah yes, the joy of a long, full skirt. Ok, maybe I'm being a bit idealistic. But probably most girls dream of wearing a full skirt that you can twirl in at some point in their life.

To me, Grace Kelly exhibits many characteristics of a true women in touch with her "girly" side and is completely confident about it. There was a time when I used to immensely dislike anything "girly." Lace. Pink. Dresses. Skirts. Doing my hair. I insisted that I carried a bag and not a purse. I wore big jeans and big t-shirts. I'm just really thankful that digital cameras weren't around then. Bleh!

As I grow up, I am realizing the beauty and wonder of being a girl! And how much fun it is, too! Now, I'm all about it. I love lace, dresses, getting dressed up, jewelry, having my door opened, and just plain being a lady.

Yep, I love being a true girl and I hope to someday be remembered as such.