Lent

I didn't grow up practicing Lent
Its a relatively new thing for me

The idea of giving up something so miniature in our lives for 40 days seemed...
almost silly to me

here is the reason why:
Jesus gave up His life for me,
so to remember Him, I will give up...
facebook
coffee
instagram
sugar
etc.

The act of giving up those silly things in comparison to Jesus giving up his life made me near tears
and it made me not even want to participate

This was my thinking until last year
Last year I gave up coffee for Lent
40 LOOOOOOOOOOONG days without coffee
like really, no coffee people

-Side note-
Mason had so much patience with me
He is a saint!
Not gonna lie, he was a little worried about what I was going to give up this year
-End side note-

Every morning that I woke up, went to the kitchen, tried to pour myself a cup of coffee
and couldn't...
I thought of Jesus
and was thankful

Every afternoon that I went by my favorite coffee shop and looked longing at all those lucky people with iced coffee in their hands (They had NO IDEA how lucky they were)...
Again, I was thankful for the sacrifice Jesus made for me

Not to mention the 50 other times during the day that I thought to myself...
"How good would a cup of coffee be right now?!"

When easter Sunday came 40 days later
I can't tell you how overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness I was
It wasn't just one day that I got to think of my Savior
It had been 40 days

 I celebrated the sacrifice Jesus made for me and the Life that He has now filled me with...
BY DRINKING COFFEE
ALL DAY
Easter was honestly one of the happiest days of 2012 for me
Not only due to the coffee
but the anticipation and the celebration knowing that WE ARE WORTH SAVING
My Savior knew I would need Him,
and He died for me

No matter what it is
how small it is
how insignificant you feel
Giving up something that you have or use everyday
WILL bring your heart and your mind closer to the Lord
if you let it

mmmm, smell dat home

I am pretty sure my sense of smell contributes about 90% of my memories into my memory bank.
I never knew my home had a smell
but now living in San Diego
I do

I stepped out of the building
and the smell of home was overwhelming
I wasn't anywhere near home
but I felt like I was there
I closed my eyes
I took it in

I could have been on the horse trail behind my house
I could have been jogging with my sister
or walking around the park with my brothers

I could have been walking into Jo-Anns with my mom and grandma
or going to get coffee with Rachel
I could have been sitting in the rocking chair in our backyard with my dad
I could have been going for a swim in our pool
Happy Hour could have been commencing in the chairs surrounding

In reality,
I was walking out of the hospital in my uniform
in San Diego
Gross from the night before
Tired as all get out
But renewed in my spirit
my mind traveling miles to hundreds of memories
stored safely behind the lock-and-key of olfactory perception

Underrated

My Husband enjoys sharing quotes with me
One of his most enjoyable quotes:
"There is nothing so overrated than sex, and underrated as a good dump."

I think there may be some male humor in this
as I don't find it nearly as funny as he does
but none-the-less it got me thinking
There are a lot of underrated and overrated aspects of life

I am quite sure that there is nothing so underrated than a quiet morning with no plans
waking up, without a feeling of rush
sitting and drinking one,
no, let's be honest,
three cups of coffee
catching up on reading
spending time in my kitchen
time on my knees in prayer
I think that a quiet morning with no plans is remarkable

And as I plan to write about something that is "overrated"
I sit here and think about it,
and continue to think about it
and I have come to the conclusion that I may just be underrating my life!

It is actually difficult for me to think of something worth writing about that is overrated
I find that simple things in life tend to get overlooked, underrated
and yes, there are things that get attention that don't necessarily need it
but I would much rather ponder the aspects that I need to appreciate more
than the ones I need to appreciate less

What aspects of your life have you been underrating?

Oh, the things I will do today

I've got two towels in the kitchen soaking up all the rain drops
a leaky skylight that REFUSES TO BE FIXED
my dryer is torn apart, searching for that broken piece
wet laundry from 3 days ago sits right where I left it in the washer, 3 days ago
Thus the laundromat is on the to-do list today

I bought a Jillian Michaels workout DVD last week
but to be honest she kinda scares me
and I have done much more staring at the cover than "shredding"
and I wonder how some people become so motivated
Why do I have to look at 15 photos of other people working out
before I have the motivation to do a WORKOUT DVD?
Its on the to-do list

I would much rather sit here and drink my coffee
pause. reflect.

Why am I such a planner at night before bed?
As I laid my head down
no more duties for the day
I had my next day planned out down to the minute

Oh, the things I will do today

Welp, I was supposed to have done that workout DVD already
...and all I did was blog about it
At least that's better than looking at it right?
still on the to-do list

My car has the check engine light on
its been on for a while
and 3 car visits to the auto shop later...
its still on
I have an appointment for 10am today
today is the big day
the check engine light is going to be turned off
even if I have to tell them to turn it off as I drive away, fixed or not fixed
Its on the to-do list, so this is serious
I mean business

The DMV never sent me my registration for 2013
a mis-colored 2012 sticker still stands out on my license plate, lonely
As I put my new license plate cover on, that audaciously reads:
"I know, I know
License and Registration"
(Thank you, Lauren, for the amazing birthday gift!)
It occurs to me, I should get that fixed
I have an appointment at 12:50
it took me 45 minutes on the phone (+ or - a little yelling and some grunts) to get that appointment
So I think I will keep it
Its on the to-do list

So...
anyone have a better to-do list they are willing to share with me
to help me get through mine?

I really need to get off this couch
like asap
maybe after another cup of coffee...

Lemonade

Sometimes...
You just gotta shake your head
in defeat
and smile
and laugh
and think to yourself
"Yep, this would only happen to us..."

Like coming home from a cross-country flight
at 11pm at night
to a mile-long line of people waiting for a taxi
just like you
all cold, tired and hungry
all wanting to get to their nice, warm homes

Finally arriving home
to a 56 degree home
where you see your breath when you walk in
(mmmm nice and cozy)

try turning on the heater
try turning on the lights
...and they don't turn on
half of the house has no power
for no reason

Go light the candles!
Go grab extra blankets!
Get cozy!
...

And here I sit in 3 layers of clothing
laughing that I can see our breath
and can't feel my toes

Loving that my husband is so handy
and full of common sense
calling an electrician

Sometimes...
you just gotta make lemonade with those darn lemons

(Thank the good Lord above the coffee maker still has power...
or I can tell you one thing. There would definitely be no lemonade in this house)

When I grow up, I will have that!

We stepped off the plane in Delaware
and a cold hit my face

"Get in the car as fast as you can!"
I told myself

The car rolls up
hugs are exchanged
the seat heaters are on

"When I grow up, I will have seat heaters in my car!"
...

We get to the house
windows look out to the bay
beautiful from the warmth inside

"When I grow up, I will have a house with a view like this!"
...

While reading "Crazy Love" in the front nook
(looking out at the bay)
I read this passage:

     "In the parable of the sower, Jesus explained that the seed is the truth (the Word of God). When the seed is flung onto the path, it is heard but quickly stolen away. When the seed is tossed onto the rocks, no roots take hold; there is an appearance of depth and growth because of the good soil, but it is only surface level. When the seed is spread among the thorns, it is received but soon suffocated by life's worries, riches, and pleasures. But when the seed is sown in good soil, it grows, takes root, and produces fruit. 
     My caution to you is this: Do not assume you are good soil.
     I think most American churchgoers are the soil that chokes the seed because of the thorns. Thorns are anything that distracts us from God. When we want God and a bunch of other stuff, then that means we have thorns in our soil. A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, addictions, or commitments are piled on top of it."

Well...
Yes, yes I have learned something here

I cant help that I still want seat warmers
But I want the Lord more
And when focused on all I have in Him
I am overwhelmed

Please... Don't rush me.

I'm in a hurry
I'm in Target
Everyone is in a hurry
IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME!!

I witnessed a conversation between a sales associate and a shopper:
Sales Ass: Yes Ma'am, we are out of those Christmas items... and it is so close to Christmas that they decided not to order any more Christmas stuff.
Shopper: Don't you know that its only December 12th?! There are 13 more days before Christmas! That's a lot of days!

(Just to clarify, this shopper was not me, although it sounds like me)

The exchange made me smile at first
Then it made me a little sad

The buyers for Target have moved on from Christmas
as if it has already come and passed

I wanted to scream "Stop rushing me! STOP RUSHING CHRISTMAS!"
Then it dawned on me
What the heck am I doing in Target if I want to be enjoying this Christmas season so much?
So I left Target

...

As I watch the lights on my tree twinkle
(only the top half of the tree... who knew I only had one strand of twinkle lights?)
I am overwhelmed by how fast time moves and...
I have only this moment to fully dwell on the here and now

Please stop and enjoy this moment with me