happy birthday sara...

Sunday is my BEST FRIEND Sara's birthday and i FINALLY got her birthday package in the mail. I paid a little extra for GUARANTEED 2 day delivery and fingers crossed it will arrive in Cullman, ALABAMA on Saturday!! Props to me if it makes it in time - especially considering it has been sitting in the backseat of my car for several days just waiting for the plunge at the post office. Why are the smallest chores the hardest to get done?
anyway,
This morning when i got to work, Rebecca MacKenzie had brought in her portable photo printer (my small group is sending a package to a little girl named Abby with cancer and we wanted to include a picture of ourselves so she knows what we look like) and after printing the small group photo, we realized that this little canon prints POSTCARDS of your pictures! how amazing is that!
So...i sent sara a postcard of my face - looking like this - just in case her gift doesn't come in time!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY best friend! i love you! :) :) :)

red envelopes...

Throughout the past few days I have seen numerous postings regarding the red envelopes that will prayerfully be making an impact this weekend. Although I defintiely did not come up with this idea, I thought it worthy enough to pass along.

Dear Friends,

This afternoon I was praying about a number of things, and my mind began to wander. I was deeply distressed at the symbolic actions that President Obama took as he began his presidency. Namely, that he signed executive orders releasing funds to pay for abortions, permission to fund human embryo stem cell research, and federal funding for contraception. I have been involved in the pro-life movement for nearly 20 years, and it pained my heart to see a man and a political party committed to the shedding of innocent blood. This man, and this party lead our country, but they do not represent me or the 54% of Americans who believe that abortion is wrong and should no longer be legal.As I was praying, I believe that God gave me an interesting idea. Out in the garage I have a box of red envelopes. Like the powerful image of the red LIFE tape, an empty red envelope will send a message to Barack Obama that there is moral outrage in this country over this issue. It will be quiet, but clear.

Heres how we can all get involved:

Get a red envelope. You can buy them at Kinko's, or at party supply stores.
Address it to:

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

Leave the envelope EMPTY

Seal it and on the back write the following message:

"This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception."

Put it in the mail, and send it on the weekend of feb 28-march1st.

The more red envelopes the more powerful the message will be!

I don't know how much of a difference it will really make - but $.42 cents and a bit of effort is definitely worth it if perhaps a life can be saved.

I got tagged by Melissa....so here are The Fours
(ps i added a few extra because it just seemed like fun!!!)

4 Dishes I Like to Cook
chicken n' crunchies
chicken fettuchini alfredo
tacos
anything from Trader Joes (margharita pizza, enchiladas, black bean taquitos)
4 Qualities I Love in People
genuine care/compassion/devotion/loyalty
humor/ability to have a good time ANY time
conversational expertise - i HATE shallow or surface discussion - i want depth and truth
servants heart - there is nothing that is more attractive or endearing to me than watching a person with a genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of others. it is amazing and worthy of respect.
4 Places I Have Been
Spain - when i was a sophomore in high school with my choir
Poland - Auschwitz is a MUST visit - absolutely changed my perspective and ultimately life.
Puerto Rico - with World Changers
England - to study at Oxford!!!!
4 Things in My Room
Anna's (used to be Powell now is Garcia) old bed (SO COMFY! i LOVE select comfort)
a painting from Danny of the mangrove trees in Puerto Rico
a framed picture of me and rachel
EDGAR
4 movies I have seen recently
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - best movie i've seen in years
Revolutionary Road - i SO relate
Rachel Getting Married
Valkyre
4 people who have impacted my life INCREDIBLY
Anna Garcia (childhood best friend)
Sara Linkous (ciSTAR and BEST FRIEND now)
Emily Trammell (World Changers seeseter)
Megan McAlpine (adult friend - and definitely the person i spend MOST time with)
and since 4 wasn't enough, 4 more...
Jamie Swope (sister-in-law)
Becka Burke (first friend in orange county and the reason i made it out here)
Kimie Cook (college friend and absolute GIFT FROM GOD as the headaches took over)
Rachel Reinert (STANTON roommate - amazing friend and answer to prayer!)
4 Music Artists I listen to OFTEN/were favorites at some point
Jason Mraz (you and I)
Josh Groban (the prayer)
Priscilla Ahn (dream)
Anna Nalick (breathe)
4 favorite beverages
CHERRY 7-up
Arizona Iced Tea
Toffee Nut Latte/Peppermint Mocha (half the peppermint please)
Mountain Dew (world changers SURVIVAL!)

alright...that is probably enough for now...

4 People who need to do this now
Megan (i think you're my only blogging friend - so you'll have to count for FOUR today!)

birthday month is coming...

March is undoubtedly birthday month!

MANY of my nearest and dearest loved ones will be celebrating the start of another year in life...

Here is a look at the list.

March 1 - Sara Jessica Linkous (best friend in Alabama)

March 6 - Tessa Fisher (amazing friend that i met in college)

March 9 - Becka Burke (blessed gift from God in adulthood)

March 12 - ME!!!!

March 14 - Amanda Cothran (Oxford best friend)

March 30 - Rachel Reinert (best roommate EVER)

time to start shopping!!!!

the ULTIMATE valentine's day adventure...

As I’m sure the ENTIRE world is aware, Saturday was Valentines Day – and although I am not currently dating anyone – I would argue that my valentines day was one of the best EVER! Megan started dreaming over a month ago about the CUPCAKE CRAWL – and on Valentines Day – the dream was realized. Megan and I have a sweet friend named Rebecca (aka Kenzie) who turned 23 on Valentines Day – so it quickly became a celebration of life and friendship – and a FUN adventure to say the least!!
The carpool mom (ME) left home at 12:00pm to start picking up the girls – first stop: Megan; second stop – Kenzie. We walked through the door and excitedly cheered HAPPY BIRTHDAY – she opened her cupcake themed birthday gift and only moments later we were on the road towards STOP 1: Newport Beach. We turned on the CUPCAKE MIX and by the time we hit track 2: This is what dreams are made of from the Lizzie McGuire Movie – we were making memories!!! Unfortunately, we got a little bit confused by the directions and ended up at STOP 2: Costa Mesa. French’s Bakery is well known for their exotic and eccentric cupcake flavors – we were particularly interested in the mimosa cupcake with champagne frosting – unfortunately, it was no where to be found. Megan and I settled on a chocolate brownie cupcake with peanut butter frosting. AMAZING – not sickeningly sweet – but definitely moist (I hate that word) and flavorful! French’s Bakery also brought our second moment of absolute hysterium... the girl behind the counter calmly and collectedly asked, “what is the cupcake crawl” – seems like a reasonable question given that we were all wearing matching t-shirts: hot pink with a giant cupcake on them – my response with way too much exuberance and volume “WE’RE ON IT – YOU’RE STOP 1!!!” we laughed all the way to the car!
After stop 2 we headed towards the original stop 1: Newport Beach. Kenzie was the first to spy Susie Cakes – a cute little cupcakery all decorated for the holiday. There were hearts everywhere and red velvet cupcakes just SCREAMING our name!!! Megan and I decided quickly and moments later were seated at the table. Kenzie – our gluten free friend also found something her little heart desired: CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES! My first bite of red velvet cake with sweet cream cheese frosting missed my mouth entirely and landed on Megan’s toe – the laughter began again – however, silence overtook as we quickly consumed the glorious baked good – literally 30 seconds later – the cupcake from stop 2 was gone.
Stop 3 was Long Beach: FROSTED – the home of the original ice-cream filled cupcake. Megan and I spied the ultimate in Valentines Day cupcakes and quickly settled on the strawberry with strawberry cream cheese frosting and a little gummy goodness on the top with SPRINKLES!!! Yay!! And to TOP IT OFF – we got it for FREE because of Kenzie’s Birthday! Doesn’t get any better than that folks! Since parking in long beach is such a precarious task, we headed straight for the car and ate in the parking lot behind the Children’s Place – a ticket would NOT have enhanced our adventure. Kenz grabbed a couple of her gluten free cupcakes and we all dug in. Cupcake 3 – very good!
We drove along the coast from Long Beach to TORRENCE…where all of our worst nightmares came true. Moments before our arrival in the ugliest city in all of southern California, we were talking about how beautiful it is – watching the water ripple on our left-hand-side as the sun beams radiated into the car – we almost needed sunglasses. It was GLORIOUS. However, upon our arrival in Torrence, everything changed. The bakery we went to was called Baby Cakes – the cupcakes were NOT GOOD – so NOT GOOD that Megan and I both threw half of ours away – not even worth finishing. They were impressively BAD cupcakes. As we drove out of the city we saw all kinds of things we could never have imagined – a K-Mart that still existed, Koo-Koo-ROO or something like that, a LOT of liquor stores and mini-marts…it was INTENSE. We got out as quickly as we could. Megan was undoubtedly scared – she kept muttering under her breathe, “we’re gonna get shot” the adventure was complete with a VERY OBVIOUS LOW!
Our final stop of the day was at The Vanilla Bake Shop in Santa Monica. I’m not sure if it was our all-time favorite stop of the day – but it ranked in the top two with Susie Cakes. Megan and I ordered 3 mini-cupcakes: key lime, black and white, and bittersweet chocolate chip. All three were INCREDIBLE. Kenzie ordered a few Parisian macaroons and enjoyed them thoroughly as well. It was the perfect final stop of the day! We all agreed that a return trip was necessary and went back to the car.
We hit the ultimate of a sugar low while heading towards Yorba Linda for dinner…the car was absolutely silent. The traffic was moderately intense but we just kept edging forward. Finally we hit the 57 and hope was restored. We ate dinner at Blue Agave – delicious – and headed towards the GHETTO movie theatre to get cheap tickets to, “he’s just not that into you.” It was cute to watch – I don’t want to be ANY of those girls – I’m not a crazy psycho stalker, I don’t want to wait 7 years to find out I’m loved enough to be married, and I’m definitely NOT the friend that encourages home wrecking!!! However, it was a classic chick-flick and a good conclusion to a wonderful day.
The carpool drop-offs started at Kenzie’s house – we went inside to watch her open gifts – and got jealous – then I delivered Megan safely to her door and headed home…it was after midnight and approximately 175 miles later that I arrived home – but I couldn’t have asked for a better day of fun with friends!! It was a Valentines Day adventure that will NOT SOON be forgotten!!
Ps Happy Birthday Kenz! WE LOVE YOU!

tomorrow...

...is the cupcake crawl. i can't wait!!!

Jeremiah 29:11

Do you ever feel like God is preparing you for something big? I don’t know what plans the Lord has for me – but for whatever reason, I am feeling more and more each day that a path is coming for which is He is carefully crafting and molding my heart. I almost feel as though something is looming – something painful that may wrench me to the very depths of my being – and yet even within this feeling of imminent doom, there is some sense of hope for God providing a higher calling for my life – for setting me apart – and allowing my life to speak His truth and shine His glory. Lord, I know you order our steps and prepare a path for us – help me to walk boldly and righteously within your plan following your direction. Do not let me be afraid but rather to rest in you and find in you true peace. Let me be ready for whatever is in store – that I may bring honor to you.
"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you - plans of hope and a future."

today is the day for happily ever after...

I was reading a bridal magazine last night (no I’m not engaged or planning any type of wedding – it is a girl thing – somehow we are just encapsulated by the white dresses and gorgeous flowers!!) and a headline caught my eye… Today is the day for happily ever after. What a novel idea – to choose happiness today. I feel like the world so often tells us that we just have to keep waiting for happiness to be ours – wait for prince charming to come sweet you off your feet – wait for your perfect career – wait for enough money to travel and see the world – wait for a holiday to give a gift to a friend… what about just being happy where we are – being happy to laugh, cherishing the moments that bring us joy in life…why are we always clinging to what is coming instead of appreciating what is already here? I know that we should not become sedate or sedentary in our current environments – that God is calling us and pushing us to be more than what we are today – to continually grow – and yet I also believe that God has called us to live a life of gratitude and to daily find reasons to give thanks. If we were constantly finding the small things that are praiseworthy – wouldn’t today be happy – and if we sought to find the good everyday from today forward, wouldn’t today be the start of happily ever after???

and the verdict is in...

Headaches are the most frustrating part of my life. They are always there lurking but sometimes they decide to spontaneously combust and literally explode inside my brain. I know that the brain has no pain receptors – and yet every ounce of my being is acutely aware of the fact that my brain hurts. Headaches are the culprits of stolen joy and lost laughter of many tears and sleepless nights. If there was one aspect of my life that I could change – that would be it. I would go back and somehow stop that iron rod from falling from the ceiling and changing my life so drastically. Most days I can handle the pain decently – and then there are days - like today – when I succumb and ultimately give up – the pain wins. My lips are numb, it hurts to blink, I literally can’t move my head without feeling the overwhelming surge of heat and pressure…my jaw is sore, chewing isn’t worth the effort, talking is exhausting and drains what little energy I started the day with…my temperature is changing minute by minute so I’m sweating and freezing and clammy and achy… I’m weak and shaky the fingers on my left hand are tingly…and really, I’m just done. Too bad it is only 2:00pm – and there is a lot of day left……………………

my capacity for love...

It is sometimes overwhelming to me that God has given me such an enormous capacity for love and emotion. Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” Ergo, it makes perfect sense that God would allow me to truly do just that. However, I feel like somewhat of an anomaly in that regard. Most people have feelings in relation to things or people that are directly connected to their lives. I have deep and moving feelings for people and their circumstances regardless of how attached to them I am. This morning I was reading a blog about a 32-year-old man who passed away after a tragic accident. He lived for 4 weeks in the hospital prior to having a massive and catastrophic hemorrhage in his brain that ultimately took his life. He is survived by his wife and son who are both deeply grieving and mourning their loss. As I read their story and took in the words of his wife as she attempts to say goodbye to her husband and the father of her child and move forward with life, I was overcome by a wave of sorrow…I did not cry, but I felt my heart clench and my spirit grieve. I have never met the Lamberth family – there is a very VERY distant connection – my friend Jenni from college was roommates with Robyn - and Robyn married into the Lamberth family. It is a somewhat strange feeling to be so moved for people that I don’t even know…the sadness feels somewhat empty in that I am helpless – I cannot offer condolences or be of any real encouragement. I have never felt as though I have the gift of mercy – however, as I continue to grow and develop in the Lord, perhaps He is manifesting Himself through that area of my life. My dad has told me since I was a little girl that my capacity for love is my greatest gift and my most painful curse. It often times gets the better of me and causes me to hurt deeply; nevertheless, it also allows me to love truly and powerfully and to give my heart to those I love. I do not know the path that my future will take –but I have no doubt that I will encounter many moments when my love will transcend all connections and be a blessing from the Lord in the lives of others. What a beautiful blessing – and how daunting a task.

i hate...

headaches