umm Forgetful Friday??

I completely forgot to write last night, and my only excuse is that it's been an incredibly full week and I was exhausted. Once I got home last night I literally crashed into bed and fell asleep. The first thing I'm thankful for is getting more sleep that I have been of late. I really needed the few extra hours, and I feel like even yet, I could sleep more.

The thing I'm most thankful for...that's an easy one. :P I'm so thankful for the godly man who is now my boyfriend. Yay! But I won't bore you with my ceaseless chatter on how awesome he is. :D

I'm also thankful for all the practicing he and I have been able to do for our dancing competition tomorrow, and that we've been able to perform it for others already.

I'm incredibly thankful for connections...my best friend's uncle and my boyfriend are going to attempt to fix my car tonight, and if it works, it's going to save me a LOT of money. What a blessing that'll be.

Good food!!! Ha! Last night I was able to meet some of my bf's (I think from now on I'll just call him M..if you didn't notice, I prefer not to use actual names.) So, I met some of M's family last night at his uncle's birthday party, and they made pizzas from Papa Murphys. My goodness, it was delicious. It was a stuffed pizza, so there's basically two pizza's on top of each other. mmm...I know what I'm eating for breakfast today!

I am so thankful for my bosses. Due to difficult circumstances, my job has been rather tense as of late, and yet they have maintained routine and been there for me when I needed them. They have been such a blessing in my life.

I'm thankful to God for what I'm learning right now, and what I'll continue learning. I know that my life is getting a bit more exciting now, and I am going to enjoy every day of it. Thank you, Lord, for all the marvelous blessings you've given me. I don't deserve a single one, but by Your grace and mercy, You count me as a daughter. Nothing I can do will ever be thanks enough for that.  *happy sigh*

Reading John

I mentioned before that I'm on a quest to see how the gospels compare to each other, well right now I'm almost done reading John, and then I'll go backwards I think. Back in chapter 15 I noticed something I think I've simply passed over before. 

John 15

The True Vine

 ¹ “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

 

² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;^[a] and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

 

^{Here is the part that really struck me. People ask a lot, 'how can God let these bad things happen' or 'how can you be so hopeful while going through this?'  We have an answer right here. God prunes the fruit bearing branches so they'll bear more fruit. If we're bearing 'fruit', we shouldn't be surprised to be placed in a position that is difficult, and in the long run helps us bear more fruit. It is also a great sense of hope because this shows that God truly does have a purpose in our times of trials.} 

³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 

⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

So often I think people try to hold themselves up, and make themselves a better person, or just simply take care of themselves and not rely on God or on others. But this verse shows that we are dependent on something other than ourselves. We can't bear good fruit on our own, we need the connection to the vine!

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

  

^{Here again we see that without that connection to the vine (which is Christ), all of our attempts to improve will fail. Now, a part of this that is difficult for me to grasp is how some non-believers can be so nice and seem like such good people. Any thoughts on that?}

⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.  

^{Here we have a huge warning...if we don't stay connected to, rely upon, and live for Christ, we're in trouble. But you know, I could be getting this completely wrong, which is why I'd love to hear all of your comments. Anyway...}

⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will^[b] ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 

^{Wow, what a promise that is! Sometimes I've felt like this is a huge lie. I haven't always gotten my desires...even though I've asked diligently...but then I realized that it's more the more I abide in Christ, the more I'm seeing life through His eyes, the more my desires are aligning with His...this is where my true desires are.}

⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

I think the only way to 'tell' if a person is a believer or not is to look at what kind of fruit they're bearing. It says else where in the Bible that we'll know them by their fruit. And it is really true.


Anyway, these are just my thoughts of the moment, and granted I am very tired. Hopefully it all made sense!!

Blessed Changes

I'm already sitting in another airport going back to my apartment. The weekend went so fast, but it was truly a blessing to go home and see my family. My little niece is just so adorable and she's a good little girl. We ooh and aah over her from dawn to dusk...but we have to, since our time with her is so limited! *sigh* I wish all of us could live closer, but yet I don't want to give up the blessings that only belong to my new home. I suppose there's a time for everyone to move on, and being separated makes our times together so special. It makes me wonder what it'll be like when all four of us girls are married and have kids. What will our 'reunions' be like then? How will our focuses have changed? Where will each of us be living? Will all of our kids get along well? (I should hope so!) It's so strange to know that our family will never be the same. Adding guys to the family was a very important step (don't get me wrong), but it definitely didn't compare to adding a baby into the mix. Our focus really has changed. And it's not a bad thing...it's just...different.  Our lives continue to change. More people will be added to our family, and each one will cause a celebration to erupt among us. As a little girl I would dream about my family once it grew beyond our immediate 6, and now we're at 9. It's so much different than I ever could have imagined. At times I've wished to stop time and just live as I am forever, but I realize that change can be a blessing. I would never wish that my little niece wasn't part of my family. She is so precious. Anyway, I guess this is all to say that I'm excited about the changes happening in my family now and in the future, and I am going to continue enjoying living every day.

Thankful Thursday - Airport Edition

Apparently I really like flying on Thursdays. I believe I've written a few of my thankful thursday posts while sitting in an airport, and here I am now, doing it again. This time I'm flying back home to see my family (particularly my niece)!  I'm pretty tired today, but am feeling more patient with the flying process than I have in a while. It will be very nice to get home tonight...

Anyway!!

This week has been very full and happy...

I am competing in a dance competition with one of my friends, so we've been rehearsing a lot! Dancing is so much fun that rehearsing has been a blast. And something we're both thankful for is how well our 'audition' went last night! It was very exciting.

My sister came to visit!! It was so fun to have her come and see what my life is like day to day and to introduce her to the people I'm always talking about! We got to go shopping, and it was a blast (I got 7 things for $27! I'd say that's a great deal!). She got to come dancing with me and get a little piece of the happiness I'm given all the time. And we even had a party with good friends! It was so much fun.

I did find out that the bank I applied at didn't accept my application, and though that was disappointing, I am not discouraged. I'm going to start applying at other banks and see where it takes me. And I'm so thankful that I have my job at Josie's to sustain me as I continue searching for another part time job.

You know, I could say more, but I think I'm going to leave it at that. Have a thankful week!

Sisterly Visit

My sister B came to visit us for the first time!

We had a party in her favor! It was brilliant fun. We'll miss ya kid!

Thankful Thursday

It has truly been a wonderful week! Special things of note have been:

Continuing to work on a puzzle with a friend. It's coming along! :D
Starting to knit a pair of socks.
Taking care of kids during church  - it was so much fun!
Going salsa dancing for the first time after the Christmas break!!! Oh, I missed it!
A successful optometrist visit.
Only having to work 3 1/2 hours when I expected to work 6 1/2!
Dancing the night away at the Avalon. It was a wonderful night. *sigh*
Having a little piece of Christmas after all.
Having an amazing day at work with wonderful conversations and blessings.
Going to see the Wizard of Oz with a group of friends!! So cool!
Seeing my sister for the first time since Thanksgiving! Yay!!
And continuing work on typing in my great-grandfather's autobiography into my computer. I have so much to learn from him.

It has truly been a wonderful week....there are very few things that could have made it better. I have been remarkably blessed...  =D

Joyfulness

You know, yesterday was a pretty rough day in some aspects. I was tired to begin with, and then my fascination with hitting my head continued when I smashed into my roof while getting into my car. That truly upset my day. I'm pretty sure it wasn't another mild concussion, but it was a pretty hard hit, and I do still have a headache from that.
I worked for 3 1/2 hours yesterday, and it was a disaster...My head hurt so much, and it seemed everything I touched just went from bad to worse. I don't think I've ever cost my bosses so much money. It was soooo bad!!
Anyway, before I get too carried away, I was so blessed when a friend from church came in with her family. I got to talk to her for a few minutes and just relieve some stress that way, and then my 'grandpa' came in. I don't know if I've mentioned him yet, but I have an older gentleman who comes in very often, and whenever I can, I sit and eat lunch with him. He is almost like that grandpa I don't have. I've only had a real grandpa/granddaughter relationship with one person, and he's already gone.
I was allowed to take a much needed break and I ate with him, and it helped so much. We didn't talk about all the negative things, but focused on the positive. He even offered to buy me more soup (since I had just poured my bowl over my hand)...he's so sweet.
My day got so much better after that..I was able to take a short nap, continue working on the puzzle with my friend and go dancing without getting dizzy! It was such a blessing.

I worked this morning, and I was nervous after having such a horrible day yesterday, but it ended up going SO well! My church lady friends came back, and "J" was the first one in. We had a really nice conversation about what's been going on with my life in the last three weeks and our Christmas adventures. It was such a blessing. Again I realized just how happy I've become since moving here. I think it is a combination of many things, one being my Thankful Thursday posts. It was the beginning of a wonderful morning. I managed to handle every customer in a timely fashion with professionalism and joyfulness. It was the busiest morning I've had in probably a month, and yet I wasn't stressed at all..Oh what joy! To not be stressed is such a new feeling. :P

Though I am tired after working the last three days, I am looking forward to tomorrow, and hopefully having an awesome day, just like today. And the rest of the week is simply going to be a blast!! My sister is coming up for a visit tomorrow, and it's going to be so much fun! We're going to go shopping and dancing and she'll meet all my friends and go to my church. How exciting is that!? It's been a long time coming, but it's finally happening tomorrow. I can't wait!

Career Change

One of my goals for this semester off from school is to get another part time job. That way, I would be using my time wisely and earning/saving more money in case I want to go back to school. It could also be a way to become firmly established as an adult if I don't end up going back to school.

Well, last Saturday on my way home from work, I got a call from a number I didn't recognize. It turned out to be the owner of a small restaurant chain in my area where I had submitted an application 7 1/2 months ago when I first moved up here. He asked if I'd be free for an interview later that day and I said yes. I struggled with that decision the whole afternoon. You see, I really wasn't looking for another food serving job. But I figured, it could be really great so I should at least give it a chance, and at least it will give me some good interviewing practice.

The interview itself went pretty well, so well in fact that he offered me the job after talking to me for 10 minutes! Granted, I do think he was a bit desperate at this point. =P I told him I would let him know the next day. As I drove home and thought about it, the more uneasy I felt about the idea of working there. It's not necessarily anything against the company...just against me and the company. I spoke with nearly everyone in my family (and some friends) about this opportunity and generally got the same outcome: if I wasn't 100% excited about it, don't take it.

I felt bad though, knowing how many people need jobs and can't find them. In fact, I have several friends who are looking/needing jobs, and the jobs just aren't there to be found. So what 'right' did I have to be offered a job and to refuse it? But then I was reminded that if I don't take that job, it's opening up for someone else who might excel at it and really love it. It's not harming me to not take that job, especially since I still have my other job. I'm just waiting for something different.

I submitted an application at a local bank that I know is hiring part time. I won't hear anything for up to a week or two at least. But here's the cool thing! When I heard about the job in Germany, I got this really excited and expectant feeling..and I went to Germany: it happened! Then I came here and found Josie's and had the same excited/expectant feeling...and I got the job and love it! Well, when I saw their 'now hiring' sign at the bank, I got the same feeling as before. I'm not sure if that's God's way of guiding me in these circumstances, but I do know that whenever I've had that feeling, it's always worked out for the best. My Germany job wasn't the best thing ever, but I learned soooo much and was forced to grow up. I would never take back that experience, even though it was difficult.

So all this to say, I'm holding out for a bank job. And I really really hope I get it! If I get it, I'll be the third daughter to work at a bank, which I think is pretty neat. =D

Thankful Thursday!

I feel like a lot has happened this week, and yet not much has...hmm. Either way, I have a huge list of blessings, even just from today! =D

~ Having a New Years Eve party of New Year's Day! =D
~ Going out to eat with a group of friends...it was a great time of conversation and food.
~ Dancing on Tuesday was really fun! And then I got to fall in the snow, and it was a blast! :D
~ Work was really busy on Wednesday...lots of good tips.
~ I started practicing violin today. This is something that I WILL learn!
~ Having good conversations with a ton of great friends!
~ Going out to eat for free!
~ Dancing an extra night and being paid for it..
~ Starting a puzzle with a friend...
~ Catching up with friends.
~ Curiosity ;)

My life has been very blessed....Thanks God!

Unnecessary Questions?

You don't have to know me long before you realize that I have never-ending questions. I am always asking some sort of question. I think I get on people's nerves sometimes. :P Anyway, right now I'm particularly bothered by one question...If the Gospels are accurate, how can they put things in a different order? I was reading in John 11 yesterday and it said in verse two that "it was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick." I had no problem with that statement until I started chapter 12 where it gives the account of Mary anointing Jesus' feet! I realize that this could just be a matter of different story telling styles, but it did bother me that the event was referred to before it was accounted for. This caused me to wonder how the Gospels compare with each other in chronological ordering. Each book has something different to offer and discuss, so I was writing down all the subtitles in each book to see which ones match and where they all fit in a line. I found that Matthew and Mark completely agreed on ordering, but Matthew and Luke didn't. Here are the things they had in common, and the order they were in in each book.

Matthew                                                  Luke
John the Baptist born                                  ''
Jesus Tempted                                           ''
The Lord's Prayer                                    Discipleship
Discipleship                                             5000 Fed
Parables of the Kingdom                         The Lord's Prayer
5000 Fed                                               Parables of the Kingdom
Ride in Jerusalem                                      ''
Lord's Supper                                          ''
Tried and Crucified                                  ''
Resurrection                                             ''

I understand that these may be minor differences...so am I overreacting by not being satisfied with these results? I just don't know. I've just begun my first examination of the gospels, and I'm definitely going to be looking more closer at their differences and similarities. Any words of advice?

The Rearview Mirror

Taking a look behind us at 2010, I'm sure we can all find happiness, sadness, excitement, and a host of others emotions throughout the year. For me it was a year of growth for sure. I feel that I've grown so much this past year!

I learned how to deal with difficult situations. 

How to be a witness by being a friend. 

How to trust that God is truly in control. 

How to be patient. 

How to dance and not care what I look like. 

How to make coffee. :P 

How to adjust to new surroundings. 

I've learned so much more than that...most importantly, I know that I have grown spiritually, and though I could always be closer, I feel like I've never had a closer relationship with my Creator. My 2010 was difficult to begin with and gradually got easier and easier. I can't remember a year that has truly been so blessed as 2010 was for me.  

And now I'm just excited to find out what 2011 has for me! 

What about you? What did you learn this past year?