monday's lesson

i'm sitting on my couch after a long rainy day. the kind of day you would rather curl up in bed, read a book, make soup, and watch a movie.

lately what's been on my heart is being content in the season i'm in and being 100% present in my day to day.
as you can imagine, being in love with your best friend at a distance and wanting to be by his side 24/7 is a bit conflicting to finding contentment in the present.

i feel like my brain has been so busy, always planning on my next step, how to get by, and at the height of that, how to put Jesus and people above me so i can serve.

tonight, elise, alice, and i did nothing but sit around and be VERY silly women. the depth of friendship i have with them is the most beautiful spiritual untouchable thing i can think of. i'm so grateful for the strength, support, love, and fun they bring to my life.

before things got crazy alice read this verse to us, "Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously," 2 Corinthians 9:6

in the business of my days i often forget how much sowing i'm doing. it's not easy, but in time i'll begin to catch the  masterpiece jesus is weaving in my heat. sowing into what seems to be rock hard ground isn't impossible if you will just remain consistent and work out of jesus' strength. it won't be easy, but it's worth the harvest.

three things that don't mix

i'm still cooling off from a blistering evening texas summer run.

three things that don't mix but are super wonderful: three miles + vegetable soup + 103 degrees = one hot sturdy girl.

tonight miss abby and i bonded over our run and vegetable adventure. i'm so thankful for my roommates. abby is one of the most inspirational people i know. her heart for jesus is wonderful, and her determined spirit and wisdom always give me something to look up to. this girl is going to high places fast! (seriously, it was impossible to keep up with her tonight).

the vegetable soup was inspired by my brother john's garden. (and a pretty shallow pocket). we've been stock piled with large zucchini, bright squash, and the sweetest tomatoes you've ever had. since he is in ukraine for the summer, we get to eat his share! (and let's be real, young men eat a lot).

so, if you too are a penny-pinching-summer-soup-eating girl such as my self, here's a recipe that was pretty yummy. :)

grab a pot and some cans of vegetable broth

pick your favorite veggies

chop 'em up

saute an onion and garlic in some olive oil

add the broth and veggies

cover the veggies with water

add black beans and rice

heat and season to taste (salt, pepper, basil, dash of sugar, sriracha, paprika, soy sauce)

and voila!

enjoy and don't be afraid to get out there in the heat, it's good for you!

summer 2013 and the pursuit of purpose

though my blogs may have been slow in coming life has definitely not! i have changed careers, went a month without being able to talk to my sweet heart as he went through officer training, watched a roommate get engaged, had a "little" sister graduate, and spent countless evenings with beautiful family and friends.

Jesus continues  to help me grow as he enables my feet to be like that of a deer, able to tread upon the rockiest and highest mountains. writing a work that will enable holy spirit to move and transform my reader's minds is my dream. i simply want to be a vessel. 

when i was given the wonderful opportunity to work at the children's home on a beautiful central texas ranch i knew that this was going to be the most challenging experience i had yet to have but it would also be the most rewarding. there isn't one admirable person i can think of who didn't take a chance and dare to experience his or her dreams. i want to write about hope, identity, redemption, and purpose... but how can i unless i understand those things first hand?

in my absence the last couple of months i was busy changing my life from the ordinary to extraordinary. ready to set my comfortable routine aside to spend some time with some awesome kids and help them know what it's like to be truly loved. 

this status update on facebook the other day really spoke to me

"Sometimes we make things too complicated when we really need to remember that the kingdom belongs to the children," -Heidi Baker

Heidi Baker isn't changing the world by living the american dream, she's walking in obedience and loving whoever is in front of her. jesus calls us to love. so love i will. don't be afraid to pursue your dreams, chances are that they were placed in your heart for a purpose.

a gift from the people of starbucks... so much more than a drink...

i believe that God is in such sweet relationship with his children. He doesn't miss an opportunity when we're weary and dry and broken to take the mundane and make it draw our eyes back to Him. it's when we lose focus of him that we begin to compare our image with that of the world....

i lost my debit card today in the car. i had gotten gas, and as i waited i cleaned the weeks-worth-of-driving-to-atx bug graveyard off my windshield. RIP. 

but instead of putting my debit card back into my wallet, i tucked it into the belt around my waist. well, i didn't remember this until i pulled up to the payment window at star bucks. i was so embarrassed. i told the kind barista that i needed to pull up and look for my card. she said, "don't even worry about it, this one is on the house." 

*cry* how can a simple act of kindness from a normal hard working person change your perspective on life in a single moment? i have no idea. it must be a spiritual thing. i ended up finding my card wedged between my seat and door. i rushed into pay and she said, "it's a gift, don't even worry about it." 

needless to say i drove the rest of the way to work thanking God for sweet moments where he blesses me through his glorious creation. it reminded me to extend grace to others as well. it doesn't matter if you're a barista or a congressman, you make a difference every day by the way you treat others. treat them as the reflection of God that they are.  

mulberries, candlelight gone wrong, glorious food, and oh yeah, the mind of Christ!

the last couple of days have been very interesting to say the least. my emotions have been at an all time high as i do a little soul searching. days at work were long and so my evenings consisted of spending time with Jesus, my roomies, and two close friends. i never truly understood the spirit behind "TGIF" until now.

one crazy eat at my house this week was mulberries from our precious abby. oatmeal is typically our kick start for the day. my recipe?

old fashion oats cooked with water
almond butter
almond milk
honey
flaxseed
half a banana
a pinch of cinnamon
and then typically some strawberries.

since our garden child had picked mulberries herself (i think on the way home from class?) she decided it would be good to put these "berries" in her oatmeal and she and alice asked me to do the same. (this was after she said they weren't "that" poisonous.)  

the result?

i thought they looked and tasted like what i imagined grubs to taste like and walked away with the "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" stuck in my head for the week. they freaked me out, but abby was in love with her earthy treasure so i'm sure they will be reappearing from time to time.

wednesday night was my night to play mom and present a tasty meal. i went for a run that evening with titus (it was actually more of a crawl through the muggy air). after my semi-defeating three mile crawl, i thought it would be nice to enjoy a candlelit yogaglo session in my room.

dinner was a fresh broccoli salad with slivered almonds, crushed noodles, and sunflower seeds sauteed in butter. the dressing was an olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce mix. SO good.

that night, as we three rabbits were munching away on the greens, for some reason (JESUS) i felt the need to get up off my comfy spot on the couch and take a picture of the salad for, what else but, my humble little blog.

i immediately went to my room for my phone  because i can never remember where i leave it (it was in the kitchen where i had left it while cooking). as i walked into the room, i was shocked to see that my evening candle, which always burns softly in my room, was aflame! the glass jar had cracked in two, the little wax that was left had melted onto my pinterest bookshelf, and the flame was at least six inches high.

i quickly extinguished the flame with my sturdy-girl lungs and removed the smoking glass (with the book shelf beneath it) to the kitchen in hopes that our overly-sensitive smoke alarm would start hollering and frighten the children!

joking aside, i said all this to say that i'm thankful when Holy Spirit (the spirit of sweet Jesus) whispers softly in my ear. this isn't the first time i've avoided huge accidents all because of a little idea that pops into my head that otherwise wouldn't. there was no need for me to get up in the middle of my meal and conversation to take a picture.

always know that you can hear him too.  1 Cor. 2:16 says, "'who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?' But we have the mind of Christ."

Jesus is so sweet. His words have literally gotten me through a long week. let his peace and joy be part of your awareness this weekend and in your dreams for the future! TGIF!

must be monday

i drive 35 miles to work in the morning, and 35 miles home in the evening. my motivation for the daily journey is my home and the community i have in san marcos... my time in the car generally consists of talking to God and letting him know that i'm thankful. (and okay, i definitely pray for A LOT of other things.)

i spent the weekend in college station tx visiting with dean tate, my life-long friend and not-as-long boyfriend and even a little precious time with his family. <3
it's amazing what a weekend of rest can do to renew one's spirit. frozen pizza, action movies, cookies, walk around texas a&m's campus, corp banquet, and of course a picnic in the park. i have so much fun with him. :)

i not only feel like i've regained perspective and can look forward to the great unknown before me, but i'm constantly remembering to be thankful for all of the beautiful people in my life. this week was a bitter sweet reminder that we're only given each day that we greet with breath... nothing more.

i arrived home on sunday evening to a happy pup. he was even more happy when he realized i had half of a buc-ee's brisket sandwich leftover from my pit-stop in bastrop, tx. i proceeded to walk into a peaceful home where the three musketeers were nestled on our comfy couches drinking hot tea. (abby was catering to a swollen foot with a pack of ice because a classmate had accidentally taken a shovel to her shoe during her work hours on the farm. -she's so intense!)

after giving them the gifts i acquired in aggieland (a deceivingly pretty white compost jar, and wire baskets to hold vegies) we shared stories about the weekend before we all quickly found our beds. thus begins a new week where we get the privilege to go to school and work and live so freely.

i hope you remember to be thankful for the season you're in today... because it will inevitably change. Jesus is so faithful to lead us through it.

happy monday!      

sturdy girls

don't get me wrong, this house is practically built on vegetables, but sometimes you just need some mashed potatoes, red meat, and biscuits. for times like that, i make shepherd's pie.

it's been a long running joke that we're sturdy girls.  getting seconds is not a foreign concept in our kitchen ...

i did, however, keep the recipe a little healthier than the one above. if you're interested, use fat free milk, lean beef, olive oil to saute, and omit the butter on top.

i enjoyed an evening with cassi (top left) and abby (the wise roommate pictured center) enjoyed the pie. guys... it was so good.

in all seriousness, today i'm thankful for best friends, dean, and Jesus. because work was tough, but between them and cooking, i was able to gain some perspective and relax. what can i say? it's just a sweat pants and comfort food kind of night.

budgets, cranberry rice, and yoga

so our house thought it would be wise to take a tip from every family on the planet and budget for groceries. i know you're probably thinking that this should be a no-brainer, but it took us a while to catch on. we're learning!

the grand plan: plan the week's meals on sunday, shop monday, and each take a night to cook whatever we wanted to and pray there were leftovers.

elise's vegetarian  dinner was our monday night grub. it's funny how our food reflects our personalities. being a gymnastics coach, elise is all about her veggies and is most definitely enjoying the earthy culture of austin and san marcos.

elise's creation: crandberry brown rice with carmelized onions, baked sweet potatoes, and steamed broccoli. (i won't insult your intelligence by hyper-linking the last two)

i came home to a quiet house but coach elise had taken care of the dinner preparations because she is sweet as pie.

the end results of our pre-planned meals were a frugal $31 out of each of our pockets and VERY satisfied tummies. so if you're reading this and you yourself have roommates, coming together to live like a family and eat like a family is both satisfying to your spirit and wallet.

the remainder of my night consisted of 30 minutes of yoga, a pleasant walk with titus, and a relaxing evening cuddled up in my bed crying over Love Comes Softly. you have to keep a good balance in life right?

april showers also bring april flowers... just go look, they're everywhere outside

a week into april and spring is pushing through every living plant around in san marcos. it smells lovely. living in a historic districts has many perks, of which are the historic trees who have deeply rooted the lawns of generations of families and who, i'm certain, have many stories to tell. i love looking at these trees... it's a weird phase in my life right now.

one of my favorite things to do when i get home from work in austin is to take titus, my horse-of-a-dog, on a walk or run to admire the handy-work of my creative dad! what a beautiful place to live. i'm blessed.

last night my roommate alice, my friend sam, and i went on a 3.28 mile jog to end the week on a sweaty note. everything about the run was sweet. alice, we will most definitely have these moments to remember!
as a competition to encourage healthy eating and exercise, alice, abby and i kicked off "Butt Blaster 2013." the winner, whoever loses the most inches or maybe the person who actually sticks with this, gets new panties and i think a pair of jeans. let the running, yoga, and butt workout apps continue!

i thought i would begin blogging about life. and what it's like to live in a princess home with three of the most wonderful women on the planet and the most precious over sized pup you have ever met. :) so if you're interested, keep reading, there's always room on the couch for one more.

this is the house in which alice, elise, abby and i dwell. it's a present from the lord wrapped up in pink crape myrtle magic. this was taken last year, so i can't wait to see the pink beauties as may flowers draw near!

...i blogged

i'm an english major. emphasis in creative writing. i have no idea why i have to force myself to blog.
tonight is different. because i literally have nothing else to do.

it's the first day of class for those still in school. even if my roommates hadn't been students i still would have been well aware that this was the first day of class because both HEB parking lots were full and every basket no where to be found. guess who's back in in town?

if you're wondering why small grocery stores disappear it's probably because they don't carry Tazo tea or organic roasted red pepper tomato soup for people like me. and we all have our bad days. if you can't cater to people's bad days you might as well not be in business. -_- that's a joke. you probably weren't wondering anyway.

after fighting crowds full of neon shirts, leggings, freshmen in suits, and fratastic seniors in sperrys, i'm embracing the solace of my monday night. because monday nights don't reject sweat pants, soup, and sore throats.

i was creeping a middle age woman, and who i assume was her son, in austin traffic today. i was watching their expressions as they spoke and eventually broke into laughter. and it reminded me of something that's been on my heart. whether you're in the dusty middle east or in the capital of texas, it's people and love that matter. and laughing... laughing is essential.

wherever you are during this cold january night, i hope you do one thing that makes you happy, or makes someone else happy. that's the kind of love that makes the world go round.

and if you're wondering what i did. i blogged. :)