A thought before bed

"You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled."
-Joshua 23:14

As laid back as I would like to think I am, I sure do worry a lot. In most situations I am more laid back than I should be but I worry about the things I can't control. Why do I do that? Maybe it's because I'm a girl. Maybe it's because this world sucks. Maybe it's because 600 Americans die every year from falling out of bed in the morning (and that is a true fact people). Maybe it's because I'm just human in general. I feel like if I started to look at worry as a sin, because it is, I would be less likely to do it. I like this verse in Josh because it talks about God's promises and I could stand to be reminded of at least a few of those every day. holler.

Today

I never eat breakfast, but the Chic-fil-a on cherry was having free chicken biscuit morning so I just had to take advantage. So I woke up half an hour early and drove myself to my biscuit listening to old school audio adrenaline really loudly. I didn't have to wait in the drive-thru at all, and the nice young man who had my sweet tea waiting for me at the window said as I was driving off, "it was good to see you this morning!" I mean, who does that? The people at the cherry road chic-fil-a thats who. And because I didn't have to wait in line and the man wan was so nice and efficient, I was actually early to work (and that just doesnt happen in my life). When I got to work, my boss straight handed me $10 for being "safe at work" this month! I love getting $10. I got a 15 minute lunch break today, but after work I got to hold some brand-newish kittens that the outlet girls found in their backyard and that was a lot like being in love im sure. Good day.

Vacancy for God

We're closing in on Real Sex, the book we are going through in bible study. It's been a really great study and a fantastic book. Chapter 8 is about singleness and I figure I'll share some of what I thought was interesting...

"Perhaps we ought not fixate on the call to lifelong singleness. Some people, of course, are called to lifelong singleness, but more of us are called to singleness for a spell, if even a very long spell. Often, our task is to discern a call to singleness for right now, and that's not so difficult. If you are single right now, you are called, right now, to be single. Called to live single life as robustly, and gospel-conformingly as you possibly can. The problem comes when the assumption that these are lifelong callings creeps in--panicked single folks think they must discern, at some given age on some given date, whether or not they are called to singleness forever."

"In marriage, it is tempting to look to one's spouse to meet all one's needs. But those who live alone, without the companionship and rigor of marriage and sex, are offered an opportunity to realize that it is God who sustains them. In singleness we see not only where our true dependence lies, but also who and what our real family is. Singleness reminds Christians that the church is our primary family. Baptsimal vows are prior to wedding vows."

The best of both worlds

As my faithful reader, you know that I have done a great deal of growing up lately. I have to like pay all these bills by myself and I have a real 40 hour a week job and I go to bed somewhat early and stuff. Responsibility is crazy. But this weekend I was home in Gaffney and I saw two very fantastic movies. I saw Monsters vs. Aliens with Erin and we were the only people in the theater laughing really loudly. I mean I think the kids thought some stuff was funny, but us 22 year olds just cracked up the whole time. Then on sunday night I saw the Hannah Montana movie and it changed my life for the most part. There's this really fun hoedown dance, Rascal Flatts just show up and sing on the front porch, and Miley and Tyra Banks fight over shoes. It's just fantastic! I walked right out of that theater feeling like a 9 year old girl. And not that I particularly wish to be that age ever again, I just like to be silly sometimes, and finding enjoyment out of things like the Disney Channel helps me keep my brain. But for reals, people grow up too fast sometimes I think. You need to stay up till 3am every once in a while. You need to see a crappy teen movie, and you need to learn a dance to a musical. If not, you'll just wake up one morning wondering where your life went and why it's not fun anymore. I'm not in college anymore, and I sure as heck don't pretend like I am, but I do like to have some fun along the way to growing up. And yes, graduate school is a different type of school and I am fully prepared to realize that it's hard work and I can't goof off like I did for the most part in undergrad. Some people take themselves too seriously and If you are that person, I feel sorry for you. Come over to my house and we can watch Phineas and Ferb because I do have it on dvd. I don't really know where this rant is coming from. Part of it is from the current life of my job with elementary school kids, coaching youth soccer, and teaching the youth group sunday school class. All of those things not allowing me the option of growing up too terribly fast. And the other part I'm certain is coming from the Hannah Montana movie soundtrack.

Jesus

I reckon I'll chat a bit about Easter since us Christians think it's kind of a big deal. I feel as if every year I get really pumped about the resurrection of Jesus and I get down on myself for getting that pumped up once a year. Maybe twice a year, cause Christmas can be popular on that topic too. I always mention how I take the cross and all that it entails for granted and it's true. I do that every single day unfortunately. But when I really think about it, lately, the reality of what happened on the cross has been the most pressing thing on my mind. I haven't neglected the thought or taken it for granted or called it a simple topic. I've been so burdened the past few weeks and months really, about how very much I need it. How the cross is all I have and Jesus' opinion is all that matters and how His direction is all I want to follow. I don't usually wake up smiling and dancing in the mornings and I don't have as many friends here and I certainly feel lonely on a daily basis living at the house by myself. But at the end of the day when work, meetings, soccer practices, hang out time is over I finally sit and God reminds me that He's all I've got. He reminds me that hope for the next day isn't even possible without Him. and dang. That feels good!

Go spread the news, and don't forget your shoes

Good days haven't been easy to come by lately, but I found one yesterday. I just have some really awesome friends who I don't tell often enough how totally rad they are. Thursday nights are always a hoot cause Grace, Kerin and I watch Grey's Anatomy and then join some others for the office after that. We've also made a ritual McDonald's run on thursdays and weird things always happen. The first time we went it took us like 10 minutes to order and the cashier lady got kind of angry. 3 college grads trying to order off the dollar menu. It was hard. Then last week we took a bigger group and we ordered $10 worth of dollar menu items and this time we encountered some static issues over the intercom which you just had to be there to understand. Then last night we decided to go to the new and improved one on Cherry rd. We ordered 6 apple pies and 2 cokes and we sat in the drive-thru parking space for like 32 minutes. I laughed all night. Really I did. My friends make me laugh when I need it that's for sure. Heck even when I don't need it.

Chris gave me a whole box of Dunkaroos as payment for the sticky note parking ticket I gave him. Brandi lets me do laundry at her house. Ktb and Brooke were together in Raleigh and they called me. I had spontaneous dinner with Erica at one of our favorite places. I don't know how I came to have such fabulous friends who are so fun to be around and who make living by myself a lot more bearable than it is.