pretty much the coolest dad on the planet

Today was a fun-filled day! My papa drove up to see me for the annual birthday visit. We went out to lunch, adventured around town, went shopping, laughed, and dressed up like pirates and ninjas. Yep, my dad dressed up like a ninja and hung out with my friends because he loves me that much. And he is super cool. My friends all agree. So, here is some evidence of our fun, and THANK YOU papa for everything! I love you!

falling deeper

The word that God keeps speaking to my heart is one of letting go of control and logic and reason and arguments...and falling into His precious and safe arms. The following song lyrics have been catching my ears every time I hear them...

"Light up the night's last regret
Burn your only safety net
Step to the edge it's such a long way down"

So true...such a long way down. Is that what prevents me from doing it? Or is it simply the idea of change? Letting go and doing things in a way completely different than my stubborn independent way has been so frightening that I have yet to truly do it. I have had a safety net, an exit in case something went wrong or did not live up to the expectation. Now is the time to let go...freefall into the arms of Jesus. Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies...

vacation...

Why is it that when you are about to take a vacation you find yourself working extra hard so that you can go on vacation? It makes no sense! But we do it all the time! I find myself with a pile of paperwork to do before I go on a vacation for a week and a half...yuck. I always do. So I am taking a mental break to ponder this very issue. We feel like we cannot go and relax unless everything is done...or else we fear coming back to the pile. Vacations are meant to refresh us, so we work really hard...and then need the refreshing. I have 240 hours of vacation. Do you know how many days that is? 30!!! I could be off for a month and be completely fine. Wow. I am at the max. So, it is official. I am taking a vacation. What am I going to do? Well, relax, for one. And do some small but tedious projects that keep being put off. And I am going to Spirit West Coast at the end of it. Nothing too big. But I will be taking a whole 8 days...barely a dent in my stockpile of hours. Oh well, at least I am trying. Yay vacation!

this summer

It is summertime! It is July!!! Crazy...my weekends are filling up rapidly as I am diving into summer. So far, it overall has been a lot of fun- BBQs, hot tubs, karaoke, lots of hanging out, fresh fruit at farmer's market, beach time, etc. On the table ahead is garage sale, camping, bridal shower, birthday party, music festival, vacation!!!, and a wedding. I think I will blink and it all will pass. I hope not. I hope to enjoy it all. But there is an element of time flying and me holding on...

Ha. Today started my birthday month. The reason I say this is because we "celebrated" it at work. So, I wholeheartedly embrace my birthday month. Secretly, I am selfishly wanting to be celebrated by myself and not have to share my birthday with others...I am feeling the sibling syndrome where the kids who have siblings with birthdays near theirs get frustrated because they have to share their birthday with others. I know like ten people with birthdays surrounding mine. I think it is because last year I did not really feel like my birthday was anything special. And so this year I want to make up for that. I don't usually feel this way. There is just something about this year. And yes, I agree that it is totally selfish. I love my friends, and I know it is insane to do ten birthdays in fifteen days...eh. We will see. It would be amazing to be pampered! Pedicure, massage, get my hair done...

How did my blog about this summer get to be about my birthday? Just in the flow of thought, I guess. :)

sometimes you need a little encouragement

Today was a bit of a tough day. Work was fine, but tonight when I was preparing to have my cell group, there was a hiccup. And it boiled down to one of the girls in my cell having a difficult time and including me in it. Fortunately I was met with encouraging words along the way, starting from a friend who I babysit for. God was letting me know He was with me no matter what the circumstances looked like. The best encouragement to me, however, came from an old kids song from a play I was in when I was around ten years old. It goes:

"Draw me nearer, this very hour,
Fill me up, with your power,
Grant me boldness to spread the good news,
Draw me nearer, this very hour"

Of course, it being a kids song, it goes more like "draw me nearer-er, this very hour-er", etc. But it came to me tonight, a blast from the past, but with a very clear purpose. To remind me that what I am doing is right. And that I need God's help to do it. I need to be filled up with His power. That He grants the boldness I need, and that most of all, I need to draw near to my Jesus. So simple, and yet so powerful.

preparation for revelation

On Friday evening (on the hottest day on the planet...okay, not really, but it was way too hot for me, and that is a subject for another day...), I drove down south to visit my dad to take him out to dinner. I love going to see him, and unfortunately it does not happen often enough. It was not a very long trip, but it served as a preparation for what God wanted to speak to me later in the weekend. It is funny, I bought my dad dinner for his birthday/father's day; yet, he ended up taking me out to breakfast the next morning and sending me home with a little gas money. I am learning how to receive blessing, even when it doesn't make sense. I am confident that if my dad could, he would have sent me home with much more than that. That is the heart of a father. On Sunday night, my pastor was talking about the very same subject. He was talking about how God, our Father, wants to bless us. All we have to do is go spend time with Him. Pastor Terry shared that when his children come spend time with him, everything is free. And that will not change. He loves to bless them. He compared that to God's heart. God longs for us to spend time with Him so He can lavish us with His love and blessing. We began to pray, and God reminded me of how much my earthly dad loved me enough to send me off with a small blessing. He then spoke to my heart about how much MORE He wanted to give me. That it starts by taking the time to be in His presence. I have been struggling financially and I have such a desire to give. I strongly dislike the feeling of not being able to be generous because of what my bank account dictates to me. God is in charge of my finances, and I am beginning to learn to trust Him fully in this area of my life. I am not in control, and should not be. I've tried. It doesn't work. But I know God has brought financial miracles to my life as well as many others' lives. So, I am learning what it means to really spend time with my Father and how to receive the blessing He is waiting to pour out over me.

you know you are an adult when...

I was recently thinking about this because I realized that I listen to talk radio in my car now. I used to despise talk radio! It was sooooo boring and all I wanted to listen to was music. Now, I enjoy listening to various talk shows, especially those on what is going on in today's world. Even a year ago, I never would have thought to do this, yet here I am. I am also having some weird issue with turning 27. It is as though I am realizing I am an adult. And there is a collision of where I am and where I thought I'd be, and they do not match up. But there it is. So, here are some funny ways that you know you are an adult when... (I added the last one...)

• Driving a car doesn't always sound like fun.
• You have friends who have kids.
• Saturday mornings are for sleeping.
• You are taller than the slide at the McDonald's playland. (oh wait, that'll never happen for me...hahahaha)
  
• Your parents' jokes are now funny.
• You have once said, "Whutch-you talkin' 'bout Willis?"
• Naps are good.
• When things go wrong, you can't just yell, "Do-over!"
• The only thing in your cereal box is ... cereal.
• You actually buy scarves, gloves, and sunscreen.
• You leave concerts and ballgames early to beat the crowd.
• You WANT clothes for Christmas.
• You don't want a Camaro because of the insurance premiums.
• You listen to talk radio!!!