A decade walking w/ Jesus

So yesterday marked one decade for me. To the day. Pretty crazy!

God has so much to refine in me....and in one decade, so many things have changed.

1. College degrees and career goals

2. From the desire of singleness to a wonderful marriage (God blessed me with a keeper)

3. From immediate travel to Taiwan to some sidetracking years (all in my best interest of course, just not "my plan"--at least now I have the best travel partner I could ask for!)

4. From the armpit of the south (with no deodorant on a 100+ day) to the scalp of the northwest, all driven in a huge Penske truck with my boo

5. From tan to pale (heehee...yes it is true)

6. Multiple friendships gained and released

7. Weddings

8. From long to short (hair)

9. From chapstick to chapstick (okay, some things will NEVER change)

10. From blindness to vision, vision to blindness (very interesting)

11. From purple to old blue to new white (cars)

12. From jeans and pjs to jeans and pjs (again, some things don't change)

13. From pink to brown (favorite color)

14. From extremely inappropriate rap music to Indie music (yes, it's true)

15. From my bday to my JESUS BDAY

16. From no helmet to helmet (thanks, good husband)

17. From the worst possible outcome to the best possible outcome (cross over, from death to life)


Well, it has been a trip and a half. And sometimes the changes are hard. Sometimes they are killer. But looking back from where I've come and looking ahead to where God is leading me....well, I think it's going to be a very worthwhile journey.


Thanks be to God for His mighty hand. He reached out to me. He called.

Maybe by my next decade we'll finally have those flying cars like on "The Jetsons...."

Christmas time is hereeeeee

Well, from November 1-December 31st, I become a Christmas music lover....a gingerbread house fanatic.....and a baking fiend.

Sometimes it happens in mid-October. That was this year.

I also become reminiscent about what I've come from....and where I'm going. For me, it's not about the presents. When we have kids, we won't talk about Santa. We won't load our tree with bow-covered gifts. We won't talk about shopping, shopping, shopping.

It's not about what you can get. The Black Friday great deals are not the focal point of the holiday.

Jesus. He's the pinnacle. He needs to be the focus. Yes, I do have a tree. Yes, I do love snowmen. But we really want to celebrate the birth of our Lord, the greatest gift, during this time of the year. I have to constantly remind myself of this, even though I have fewer distractions! AHH!

A stubborn person. Loves to bake too much. Sometimes forgets to truly listen to the words of the tunes I sing. All those Christmas hymns MEAN something.

I pray that my heart and my focus will be more on the celebration of Christ than on making food for people, which is one of my great joys in life, apparently. The way to ANYONES heart is through the tummy--this is not only true of men. ;)

Thank you for the greatest gift. Let that be my focus.

OH COME ON.....trying to stay patient

So, now I am starting to feel some anxiety in relation to my "eye problem."

I know what I have.

They say, "Oh, your sight will be back in no time!" Maintain your pirate status.

Both of my eyes are working normally independently of one another. . .but they won't work TOGETHER. TOGETHER, they give me headaches and make me vomit all night long. Who knew that your own body would turn on you like this? I guess I kind of did because I've had lots of medical problems my whole life....but before this I felt as though I was in my best health, having fewer problems than normal and being able to finally handle SOME fat-free dairy products without extreme discomfort. DO NOT count on things. DO NOT count on your tent. DO NOT be comfortable in the amount of vitamins and supplements you take. ONLY God is in control of your tent. He determines how many "outdoor outings" you can have in your tarp-like being before He takes you home. I now know that my vitamins may be good, but nothing in this life is guaranteed. My Vitamin-C will NOT keep me from getting a sore throat when my student sneezes in my face.....but sometimes it does! All this to say, the only thing 100% dependable is GOD's PRESENCE in a Christian's life.

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Three months of one eye only and you'll start to LOSE YOUR MIND. For so long, you can hold on to what people tell you will happen. But then....

It doesn't. The promises are untruths....not lies....but not things that I can depend on. Doctors hold no rule over my current predicament.

Patience is thinning in my court. I am fighting the thinning patience. . .but it is hard. I feel like this situation is at a plateau. . .now I would love to be healed. I would love to be "semi-normal" again. I want to wear contacts. My nose has permanent ridges....I am not a fan of glasses, so that has been quite a challenge. It's the little things. ;)

I want to drive. I want to run errands. I want to be able to do things outside my home and outside my very close by neighborhood. It's the domestic things.

Why is this continuing?

I have no idea.

Perseverance. I have to press on. I have to accommodate. I have to remember God's promises and remember that I am not alone. I have a God who already knows the outcome. I have a God who says, "Oh you of little patience and steadfastness." But I also have a God of GRACE AND MERCY who says, "Child, I know it is hard. But stay with me a little longer."

So now I simply pray that God will draw me to Him and His strength will be my own. I cannot do anything apart from the Lord. It is impossible. But with God....I can and will press on.

The day I can see again will be a great one...until then, "I'll have to muddle through somehow." (Yes, Christmas music can come in handy.)

Now I have to look to God to NOT let the frustrations and irritations take over.