Everytime I go to WalMart, something weird happens.

I'm in WallyWorld today at around 11:30am. At this time of day, only really old people are there. I mean, really, it's basically a scientific fact. So, I'm walking down the main aisle, just minding my own business, when out of nowhere this older man comes zooming around the corner and almost runs into me. I smile and move out of his way and keep walking, but then I notice that he has stopped next to me and is talking. I am like, what the crap. So after he gets done mumbling, I look at him and say, "I'm sorry, but what did you just say?".... and he replies with the best sentence a 75-year-old man could have ever said:

"Well, I've been trying to hit someone all day, but I just haven't had any luck."

I laughed really hard, and then he looked at me once my laughter had died down and said, "You're a pretty girl. Have a good day," and walked off.

Only at WalMart, folks. Only at WalMart.

A tale of two rebates...

I decided I finally needed to buy CD-Rs today due to my new responsibility to photography team (and all of the cds I've been rampantly stealing from Holly), so I hunted around Office Depot where nothing looked cheap enough until suddenly--

Gleaming from behind a wall of thin glass-- kept pure from the world by a cheap copper lock-- stood a glorious sale! Yes, twas a 512 MB memory card for only $19.99! Who can resist such grace, such allure, such... cheapness?! Not I, I spake to myself. Alas, I was taken with its charm and decided I must purchase it and deliver it from imprisonment behind locked doors! I bartered my piece of ye olde plastic(e) for the beautiful card and flittered away with my two rebates in hand. Twas a merry time for me! Then, after driving my trusty steed and arriving at my castle, I discovered a quandry-- how doth one send one original UPC to two places? The problem vexed me, and after a near fortnight on the phone with the lords of Office Depot, I was promised to receive $10 cash upon returning to the shoppe. Huzzah!

She takes a bite... chews it once... twice...

Today's verse is the following:

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation [1] under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

I think this is a good one to use to preach the Gospel to yourself. VQ has made me so aware of my inadequacy as a witness. I wanted to share the gospel with my conditioning instructor this morning, but I kinda made small talk about Florida instead after mentioning what VFC was. Plus he started going too fast for me to keep up with him and converse! Anyways, I have to go to repro.... pray for my animal ethics project that needs to be 15 minutes long and given tomorrow afternoon! I feel so unprepared even after looking up everything I possibly could on my topic! (It's bullfighting by the way) Peace.

VQ was awesome.

Something isn't displaying right with the blog.... but dawg, VQ was awesome. More to come later...

Decisions, decisions

I'm sure you're expecting glorious news that all my decisions have been made, and I'll stop talking about wedding planning-- BUT the reception site is still a mystery. I visited Rothchild, and it was nice, but I'm trying to find another place that is available to compare it to. Currently, every hotel (well, about the 15 that I've contacted) is either booked or not big enough to hold a large gathering. Boooo. The idea of an outside carnival is looking good right about now. I don't think people would enjoy July weather with formal wear on, so I'm trying to avoid outside sites as much as possible.

This morning I got on the idea of worship music for the ceremony because Casey was kind enough to provide an outline of how much music to include, and I heard a good song ("Beautiful" by Shawn McDonald) on Squatty's blog. This is a very difficult process for someone who loves modernized hymns to no end! I'm currently trying to find a copy of "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go" because I heard a Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken (I'm assuming it was her voice) version that's updated, but it's not anywhere for purchase online! I read the history of the hymn on the RUF music site and it seemed wayyy too pertinent to a wedding. Check it out:

History of Hymn

“O Love That Will Not Let Me Go” written on the evening of Matheson’s sister’s marriage. His whole family had went to the wedding and had left him alone. And he writes of something which had happened to him that caused immense mental anguish. There is a story of how years before, he had been engaged until his fiancé learned that he was going blind, and there was nothing the doctors could do, and she told him that she could not go through life with a blind man. He went blind while studying for the ministry, and his sister had been the one who had taken care of him all these years, but now she is gone. He had been a brilliant student, some say that if he hadn’t went blind he could have been the leader of the church of Scotland in his day. He had written a learned work on German theology and then wrote “The Growth of The Spirit of Christianity.” Louis Benson says this was a brilliant book but with some major mistakes in it. When some critics pointed out the mistakes and charged him with being an inaccurate student he was heartbroken. One of his friends wrote, “When he saw that for the purposes of scholarship his blindness was a fatal hindrance, he withdrew from the field – not without pangs, but finally.” So he turned to the pastoral ministry, and the Lord has richly blessed him, finally bringing him to a church where he regularly preached to over 1500 people each week. But he was only able to do this because of the care of his sister and now she was married and gone. Who will care for him, a blind man? Not only that, but his sister’s marriage brought fresh reminder of his own heartbreak, over his fiancé’s refusal to “go through life with a blind man.” It is the midst of this circumstance and intense sadness that the Lord gives him this hymn – written he says in 5 minutes! Looking back over his life, he once wrote that his was “an obstructed life, a circumscribed life… but a life of quenchless hopefulness, a life which has beaten persistently against the cage of circumstance, and which even at the time of abandoned work has said not “Good night” but “Good morning.” How could he maintain quenchless hopefulness in the midst of such circumstances and trials? His hymn gives us a clue. “I trace the rainbow in the rain, and feel the promise is not vain” The rainbow image is not for him “If the Lord gives you lemons make lemonade” but a picture of the Lord’s commitment! It is a picture of the battle bow that appears when the skies are darkening and threaten to open up and flood the world again in judgment. But then we see that the battle bow is turned not towards us – but toward the Lord Himself!

Any favorite hymns out there? "O Worship the King" is ranking up there, but I don't think a small band can rock out like Sunday morning worship can. Haha. I finally understand Chris Tomlin's version of the chorus after seeing the real words to the hymn:

O Worship the King

1. O worship the King,
all glorious above,
And gratefully sing
His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender,
the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor,
and girded with praise.

2. O tell of His might,
O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light,
Whose canopy space,
Whose chariots of wrath
the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is His path
on the wings of the storm.

3. Thy bountiful care,
what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air,
it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills,
it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills
in the dew and the rain.

4. Frail children of dust,
and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust,
nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender,
how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender,
Redeemer, and Friend.

Different, isn't it? Well, I'm going to get back to my animal ethics project (I'm doing it on the ethics of bull-fighting. Woot). ONE DAY UNTIL VISION QUEST! WOOOOOOO! Maybe I should be packing...?

The Internet is full of amazing little treats...

April Fools day is fast approaching. I say this because Gabby and I have been in a war over our college years, each one trying to out-do the other when the holiday rolls around. Our freshman year, I began the competition with a flawless prank. I told our suitemate that I would be putting Icy Hot on the toilet seat, so to make sure she didn't forget. When I got back from class that afternoon, I was informed that Gabby's posterior had been tingling for nearly 30 minutes. A simple prank indeed, and it was glorious.

Sophomore year was Gabby's year to take the cake. I came back from a day spent at the Car Show to find my ENTIRE desk covered in Saran Wrap. Not just the big things, but every pencil, every envelope, every piece of paper... everything. Then I noticed the larger-than-life-size picture of me looking portly and making a hideous face (darn those blackmail pictures) hanging in our dorm window which faced the main parking lot. Above that was hanging my underwear, followed by a sign that read "THIS IS MY ROOMMATE'S UNDERWEAR." And, last but not least, when I opened the freezer, all of my other (aka icy) undergarments were found.

So, now it's our junior year. It's the last April Fool's I will have with Gabby as my roommate. What to do, what to do...

Any suggestions? Email them to me.

Who needs a reception anyways?....

I suppose you're all used to seeing every post from me now infiltrated with wedding planning. It's not consuming all my spare time... maybe closer to the day it will eat away at sleep.

Yesterday, in a procrasting fashion, I hunted for reception sites instead of studying for my test today. God was faithful, though, and I think I did well despite having to throw a few answers to the wind because my mind was a pile of mush after waking up at 4 a.m., napping from 4:30-5:10, and studying through one class, playing kickball in conditioning class, and the test at 10:00. Yay for cramming! Anyways, I think I looked up every hotel/convention center/community center (I looked at a community center for the deaf and decided Holly would get too much of a kick out of that...) in Knoxville and still have not found anything suitable for what I'm looking for. I'm trying to find somewhere close to the church, but the only areas with big banquet halls are Downtown near UT (*duh*) so it's proving to be a struggle to find adequate space and price for 100+ guests. Anywho, I'm hearing back speedily from some hotels and taking down pricing for each. Rothchild Conference Center and Catering e-mailed me back with meals around $17-$30/person with no room rental fee, more $ for the dance floor, and most of the decorating already included. I'm guessing about 125 guests will attend, so the cheapest meal choice + service charge + tax would be about $3,000. I don't know if that's reasonable or not, so some of you who've been through this will have to inform me! All we would need to add would be some centerpieces and embellishments to the stuff they'll provide as well as a cake (since theirs is $3/slice!). I'm aiming to not make my parents broke, and this seems like a good choice right now. I'll probably do most of the work myself (or with assistant posse in tow) instead of hiring for every service needed... unless I need a moonbounce. How cool would that be?!

Thanks to those of you who have offered referrals for wedding services already! I'm looking for crafty ideas for gifts and décor as well. 2 hours in AC Moore reading all of their $20 wedding books (no one told me 'This isn't a library!' so I took advantage of it :) ) didn't produce enough ideas that I liked.

Mmkay, back to house cleaning and sorting through my messy room!

I look like I have one squinty eye in my picture...

Some especially applicable scripture for my week:


James 1:2-4, 14 "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. . . Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."


1 John 3:18-24 "Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us." (emphasis mine)

Oh how I long to get back into the swing of things...

The wedding update!

So Holly and I went dress shopping today and found some mad deals. We went to Wedding Wonderland and hung out with this sweet little lady named Margaret who probably thought we were insane. She was really fun and didn't act like we were poor or anything, showing me the $3,300 dresses. Haha. In the end, I went back to my first love-- the one and only one that I tried on at Budget Bridal by Connie. The first time I went with my mom, so I wanted to have Holly's opinion on it. Connie also gave me the world's tiniest slip/girdle last time-- she called it the 'sucker upper.' It was so tight I could hardly pull it off! Anyways, today's trip was less traumatic b/c I got wear a normal slip and try on the dress one more time. I decided I was sold, and I got to take it home with me today (it's great being such an average size because I fit into most of the sample dresses... this only stinks when I go normal clothes shopping because all the mediums are gone)! Woot. I'd leave a link, but I think I'll keep it a secret in case the fiancé decides to take a gander at this blog. Holly picked out a bridesmaid dress that looks pretty sweet. I was aiming for a two-tone green scheme, and this one is more the same green but different material for the bow on the waist and the sash. I like it a lot *Forrest Gump voice*. It's fun taking Holly dress shopping because everything she tries on looks like a muumuu.

Anywho, the current thought is July 29th, 2006 at 5 p.m. at Cornerstone (when I turn in the form to the almighty Event Coordinator, Leslie :-D). We're still debating on reception ideas. My mom doesn't like the idea of a hotel, and the church only allows a first dance... James and I aren't the biggest freak out dancers, but I think other people will enjoy it. The reception will be at night, so I'm sure renting somewhere will be expensive or already booked if we don't jump on it right away. I'm currently working on a guest list, so I don't know what size facility we'll need. I'm open to suggestions.. no, I'm begging for suggestions! I think we'll be staying at a bed & breakfast in Gatlinburg called Berry Springs (check out the incredible views!!) for a couple of nights or even staying in G'burg the whole week hiking, biking, and throwing little kids off rides at Dollyworld. Haha. Again, suggestions for locations? The east coast was a thought, but nothing was really there catering to honeymooners that wasn't off the charts expensive.

So the moral of this story-- leave some comments if you've got some ideas cookin!

Computers in the UT library are slow.

VisionQuest is coming up in like three stinkin' weeks! AHHHH!!!

Also, it's now been a little over a month (geez, already?) since Gabby and I started our own 6:00am club, and I have seen the fruits of pursuing spiritual disciplines and biblical femininity (when I type out femininity, I just don't know when to stop... kinda like typing out banana...). It's been hard like whoa trying to force myself to go to bed early and wake up at the buttcrack of dawn... but I can honestly say it has been getting easier (even though the lazy sinner within me wants to avoid getting out of bed like the plague). Praise God that my body is finally beginning to adjust!

And after re-reading that paragraph, I apparently have taken a liking to parentheses and periods of ellipses today.

OH--- speaking of taking a liking to something, ever since I've started working at Nouveau, I have gained 10 pounds. I know, I know, I am still a midget... but I really have been convicted of my poor eating habits and unhealthy diet! My clothes hardly fit anymore... what is up with that? Plus, Gabby has been getting on to me about being lazy and never exercising (what, walking from my bed to the computer doesn't count as exercise? It's like a whole three feet!), so it's time to start taking care of the body that God has given to me. Wow, I see a recurring theme here... lazy, lazy, lazy, lazy, LAZY. (The more you type out that word, the more odd it looks... same thing with knuckles. Knuckles. Knuckles? I've always said that knuckles looks like it should be pronounced "kuh-noo-clays" anyways.) This post has taken on new heights (or is it depths?) of idiocy, so I'm going to shut up now.

The big tale... :)

So apparently the grapevine has done all the telling, but I guess I'll fill the rest of the details in... I'm talking about my special Valentine's Day with James!

The evening started with James arriving at my door with my favorite roses!


He picked me up, and we drove to Oliver Springs to his uncle's place where there would be a quiet atmosphere and no roommates lurching. He said he wanted to cook dinner for me, but when I asked him what the plans were, he said, "I don't know... I'll tell you when I think of them" as we were driving there! When we were going through Oak Ridge, he said, "Oh shoot-- I forgot to go to the grocery store... we'll have to stop at Save-a-lot later" and my heart started to sink because he knows how much I dislike his 'winging it.' I was starting to think he hadn't planned anything... but I was suspicious because I didn't know of any grocery store near the house that was closer than the one we had just passed so I thought he was up to something.

We arrived at the house, greeted by a chubby dog named Sassy, and James said, "Wait here a minute, and I'll go get some money." Like he had cash there... psssssh. I knew he was up to no good, so I made 3 snowballs out of the tiniest amount of snow left and waited for him to open the door back up. He opened the door, and the first one hit him and didn't break. I threw another and hit his arm as I dove for the third one I hid behind a column when it looked like he was going to pelt me with snow. The fight ended (I think in my favor :) ) and I walked into a kitchen with 8 red and white candles on the kitchen table amidst marshmallow hearts and rose petals. He said the meal would be walnut and apple salad with raspberry vinaigrette, parmesan and garlic coated flat bread, some kind of pasta with shrimp and basal marinara, and chocolate covered everything for dessert. He had already made the salad, had the shrimp in the marinara and everything ready to go! He put the pasta in to boil and baked the bread while I wandered around the kitchen. While he was cooking, I noticed the two lamps he had turned on a lathe with his uncles sitting in the living room, and I started to walk towards them when I saw a small heart-shaped box on the floor in front of the tv. At that point, I backed away and acted like I hadn't seen anything and started the guinea pig running on the wheel.

Anyways, I had a kind of late lunch (but I also had a funny feeling) so I didn't eat much at dinner, which I think made James think I didn't like the food. I was pretty full, though, so we ended with some food left for the doggies. We sat there a minute, and he said, "Well, I guess we can do some dishes." Yayyyy, I thought. Soooo romantic. :-P Anyways, we soaked some dishes and didn't really clean any at that point, and we started talking about the two lamps again and walked into the living room ignoring the box right underneath our feet. He hugged me for a long time and then sat down to show me my present.

Ordinary box eh?


I sat down in front of it, and he started to pull the drawers out. This is what it had to say:


*The voice inside Gabby's head:* Uhhh...


What the...


You're joking!


....


Expecting a question mark written on the heart here-- haha.


Is it a sapphire? It looks blue!

He took it out, and I think he said, "Well?" I replied, "Are you sure?" and he laughed at me. I can't quite remember the rest of the dialog, but I'm pretty sure I said yes.... which is a good start, I hear. And he put it on my finger...



We just kind of sat there, and I hugged him, thinking, "Shouldn't I be crying?" Then he gave me a letter he wrote that afternoon, which was probably the nicest letter I've ever read in my life. The little cartoon he did at the bottom was hysterical. It involved a little guy kneeling reaching for a girl saying this:

J: Will you marry me?
G: Yes! *while jumping in the air*
J: Yeah!
G: Why are we floating?
J: Because James drew the ground too low!

I was near tears after reading the letter, but I would've lost it if I'd made him read it to me. Another day, though :). I sat there in disbelief for the longest time on the floor with James holding me. I was trying to wrap my head around it. The only thing I really asked about it was when to get married! Haha. I guess I still don't feel engaged yet. I'm working on it, though.

So we sat there for maybe 45 minutes, mustering up an appetite, then fondue-d oreo-covered marshmallows, strawberries, kiwis, bananas, and apples! It was scrumptastic. I'm drooling now thinking about it.

The moral of this story: I LOVE JAMES! Woo hoo! I hope this sastifies all the romance-lovers with enough juicy details. The wedding will probably be late July or early August since Mason won't get back from South America until July... what a loser :-P. Any ambitious people people to give advice?! I know absolutely nothing about weddings and already feel overwhelmed thinking about writing a guest list! I did buy my first bridal magazine, though, from The Knot since it looked more helpful than their website. $10.00 better be the only magazine I have to buy! Haha.

So here's the full display of my little jewelry box James put together for me :)


...the ice and the cute lil' box it comes in!


The end!

VFC Guys Are....

Last night was the annual VFC Valentine's Day party that the guys throw for the ladies of VFC. It was my first time going, so for those who don't know what this party's all about, it's basically the guys plan and put together this dinner and evening of fun that's especially catered to serving us girls and honoring us.

Well, I had an absolute blast last night!! I was so affected when I watched the video the guys put together where they each told us what they respected about us... I mean, what other group of guys would do that? It totally commends the gospel and shows God's grace in our lives (that we would desire these Godly, feminine traits) and theirs (that they would notice these things and thank God for us)! I am simply floored at the brotherly care I and countless other girls have received from VFC guys. So, if any of said guys are reading this-- thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Last evening served us in so many ways and really made us appreciate the Biblical fellowship we share with y'all! You rock! No, you're awesome! No, you're... incredible! Dangit, there needs to be a new word to describe y'all... one that is a mixture of those..... like... inrocksome..... or rawcedible. Yes, rawcedible.

Here are some pictures from last night.

Biblical Womanhood

I was reading the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood's resources for women this afternoon, and started reading one of the journal articles entitled "Preparing for Motherhood
A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO THE CULTURAL ATTACK ON DOMESTICITY" by Tim Bayly. I was enthralled with the story about his mother's life and the joy she obviously had in caring for her family. It talked about the rise of feminism in the 70's and the downfall of college educations for women in home economics and any other practical majors (nursing, Christian education, etc.) having any relation to the home anymore. I thank God for the transformation brought on by last year's VQ that made me realize the priorities I had before were merely for my own professional aspirations and not geared towards preparing for marriage and a family. There was also a section called "Quoted and Quotable" after the article. This is the quote I loved:

To be Queen Elizabeth
within a definite area,
deciding sales, banquets,
labors, and holidays; to be
Whitely within a certain area,
providing toys, boots, cakes,
and books; to be Aristotle
within a certain area, teaching
morals, manners, theology, and
hygiene; I can understand how
this might exhaust the mind,
but I cannot imagine how it
could narrow it. How can it be
a large career to tell other people’s
children about the Rule of
Three, and a small career to tell
one’s own children about the
universe? How can it be broad
to be the same thing to everyone
and narrow to be everything
to someone? No, a woman’s
function is laborious, but
because it is gigantic, not
because it is minute.

-G. K. Chesterton,
What’s Wrong with the World

And back to more puppies:

Attack puppy! And....

...attack boyfriend!

Thank You, Lord, for this bounty...

Yes, yes, I know the puppy post is adorable and you all want to adopt her, but I had to interrupt and say that I have been praying about a part-time job for a while now, and today I had a job interview at Nouveau Classics... and I got the job! Yay!! I'm so excited about this answer to prayer... the Lord is so kind!

Anyways, please read below about the puppy. Thank you.

And then there were none...

In the last 24 hours, I've been the adoptive mother of 3 3-month old puppies and now the lonely mother with none. James said 3 puppies were abandoned near a shed on his farm with a big bag of dog food, so we went there yesterday to retrieve them and bring them to a shelter to have a chance at being adopted. I asked around at church today and random friends if they wanted one, but I didn't think any would adopt them. Luckily, the old roomie Jessica got the grey and black puppy and Mason took the black lab looking one. I was ecstatic when they did, but I suddenly thought about what we'd have to do with the final (and the cutest, might I add) puppy remaining. She wandered around the living room kind of searching around-- I think hunting for her sisters since she was always the one to pick the fight with them and loved to wrestle. Then Holly insisted that we take her to the shelter today and not get attached, but I got sad holding in during the ride over. One, because she was going all alone to the shelter without her two little amigas, and two, because I didn't know where she'd end up. The girl at the shelter said, "You know there's the possibility that the animal will get euthanized, right?" and we said yes. Our landlord won't let us have pets here, and we also don't have the finances to care for a dog as it is. I definitely know how much vet bills cost. I just want to run back to the shelter and adopt her although it will be another 65 hours from now when she'll be taken out of isolation to be put in the puppy adoption area in the shelter. So if you're looking for an adorable puppy, this one is the most loving and spunky of any dog you'll ever meet. She'll be at the Young-Williams Animal Center on Sutherland Ave. for the next 2 weeks or so before she'll be euthanized.

Favorite Superbowl Commercial

Mine was BY FAR the FedEx one with the cavemen and dinosaurs... I almost peed my pants from laughing so hard... it was like one big laugh right after another with no time to recover! Gah, hilarious.

What was your favorite Superbowl commercial?

Today's Math Lesson: 2 large cups of coffee = 7 bathroom trips within a 3-hour period.

Okay, okay. I know you all are just DYING to know what's been going on in our lives. I can only write about mine right now, so those of you who were waiting on Gabby to post... welllllp, it was nice knowin' ya.

Firstly, I'd like to announce that I suck at waking up at 6:00am. My schedule got thrown off when Mom came into town this past weekend, and I've not gotten up early since Friday morning (yes, that's 4 missed mornings). I am so thankful that my spiritual discipline performance doesn't determine my favor with the Lord. I want to get back in the swing of things because I love God, and I want to know Him more and equip myself daily! So, I joyfully return to the 6:00am club tomorrow morning. =) And thanks to the New Orleans ladies (Jen and Danielle) for being so encouraging, even when you're 10 hours away!

Secondly, I HAVE CHOSEN A MAJOR. *drumroll, please* Communication Studies. I met with my former speech teacher, Mrs. Laura Smith (my favorite teacher ever, might I add), to get some help with the whole process since she's one of the top dogs in the school of communications. She is a Christian, so it was nice to have some Godly advice coming from her. Anyways, yeah, that's the major change. Apparently I enjoy going to school and will be here for another 47 years... shut up, your mom goes to college.

Thirdly, I love the girls in my Bible studies! The Humes girls and the girls in the Biblical Single Womanhood study are AWESOME!!

Fourthly, potato salad.

Fifthly, what the heck is up with this weather??! It's doing a number on my health... one day it's like 60 and I feel like wearing shorts (but that would mean I'd actually have to shave the forest that is my legs, ACK).... the next day there is a chance for snow and the thickest parka won't keep out the wind. I do not understand.

Sixthly, next time you see Peter Hedger, give him a wet willy. Everytime he's around me, he gives me like 10 in a row, so dangit, it's on like Donkey Kong.

Hmm, burning bush, anyone?

So when you ask for burning bushes, the Lord is faithful to lay down some clear answers. I had a lot of answered prayer today. For one, I am not supposed to be in a courtship right now. For two, I am changing majors and staying here in Knoxville. For three, God is SO GOOD and His sovereign will is best! So yay for the Lord turning a trial into a blessing! I have learned so much about trusting in Him in the past few months, and I am so thankful for that.

Like, please, Lord, a burning bush would be nice.

"I do not ask to see the way
My feet will have to tread;
But only that my soul may feed
Upon the living Bread.
'Tis better far that I should walk
By faith close to His side;
I may not know the way I go,
But oh, I know my Guide."

Cap told me that this stanza (from the hymn I posted earlier) had been really affecting him lately, and I would have to second that. The future is so up in the air right now... what dental hygiene school to attend, where I'm going to live in the fall, etc... and I can see myself searching for answers more, instead of just focusing on my Creator! I've been reading through Sinclair Ferguson's Discovering God's Will, and so far, it's been really helpful in giving me advice, especially these questions from pg. 73:

Is this lawful? Is this beneficial? Is this enslaving? Is this consistent with the Lordship of Christ? Is this beneficial to others? Is this consistent with the example of Christ and the apostles? Is this for the glory of God? And for that matter, am I living for the glory of God?

I also really enjoyed Carolyn McCulley's post on this book. The funny thing is, I'm not stressed or freaking out about my future... more than anything, I'm completely clueless! However, I think that being clueless will cause me to look to the Lord for guidance and to seek His will for my life. I only pray that I stay humble and continue to place my trust in the only One who is trustworthy... because if I don't do that, and begin to rely on myself or others, then that's when the anxiousness and fear will set in (and BOO on that!). I definitely need to be reminded that it's not all about ME and MY decisions and MY future... ugh, sometimes I can be so selfish! But, the Lord is always quick to convict me of my mistakes and draw my focus back to Him. Scriptures like Jeremiah 29:11, Proverbs 16:9, and Proverbs 20:24 really comfort me. God's going to guide my steps, regardless if I "feel" like all the answers are there. Gah, I wish I wouldn't rely on my feelings at all-- BOO on feelings too! Haha. It's encouraging for me to think that nothing I can do will EVER thwart God's plan... I just need to continue to seek Him by spending time in the Word and diving headlong into areas where I can experience Him more fully (like church, Bible studies, CareGroup, etc).

Anyways, if anyone else is dealing with this same stuff right now, hope this lets you know that you're not alone!!

P.S. I had Panera's French Onion soup today for lunch... I got some stank breath that just won't QUIT.

Riding with Strangers and Fun with Flan

Ok, so I know this will sound extremely crazy, but I had to share it.

This morning, I was running a little behind and didn't walk out to my car until 7:40. As I was walking out (and it was conveniently parked on the street for once instead of our lawn or driveway...) and saw this kid bolting down the street at me! I was like, "Uhh... is he running to me?" I kept walking, unlocked the door, and put my stuff in. I turned around and the kid had gotten to the house next door to me and managed to puff out, "Can.. I... get... a... ride?" I said sure although I thought about how much I would laugh having seen this kid chasing down a bus. Then again, I thought about how I stressed I always was with my parents considering me a huge inconvenience if I ever missed the bus and made them late to work. So I let him in, and he proceeded to show me his watches (yes, plural). He said, "I got this one from BK-- it's a Luke Skywalker watch!" Then his other wrist had a watch on it that he said his dad had when he was 13, but it had never needed a new battery after 14 years. I quickly did the math thinking of the kid's age (probably 11 or 12) and his dad being 27, which would make his dad only 16 or 17 when this kid (Derek, as I found out) was born. That really just broke my heart because I know from doing YOKE Youth Ministries for 2 years in this area that a lot of the kids around north Knoxville have a really tough home life. I asked if he went to YOKE, and he said yes, so I hope he keeps that up. I know YOKE isn't the best at presenting the gospel, and I wasn't either this morning since I didn't mention YOKE and think of the gospel until we were pretty much at the school. Granted, it is only about a mile from my house, but I need to be more quick with the important questions.

Alas, this afternoon I attempted to make a dessert I made two nights ago: flan cake à la Sandra Lee. I made it Wednesday night, and it turned out beautifully, but I had some last night to make sure it tasted good. Then I decided to make another to bring to care group. I'm not sure what went wrong, but this one did not solidify at ALL. It just turned into a flan puddle when I inverted the pan. I cooked it until it was nearly burnt on the top because I could see how runny the flan part was, but it was to no avail. I think I didn't let the flan mix reach a good boil to make it set. So, after looking at my nearly 2 hours of labor lying in a puddle on a broiler pan (and nearly tearing up), I decided to document the two cakes to let everyone have a good laugh. Here they are:

The original beauty...

...and Lake Flan

Oh my gosh... I feel like such an idiot. I just re-read the instructions for the 10th time after poking the lake and discovering that it had set up. It said to refrigerate 2 hours BEFORE cutting around the edges and inverting. Yes, I win the award for "Chef of the Year."

P.S. I went back to the grocery store and spent another $1.04 to try again. It's currently cooling in the fridge and may make an appearance at Care Group, even though I messed up the caramel topping.