Precious.

When I see things like this happening, my heart is happier instantly!!  Cookies saving the WORLD!

http://cookiesfornets.wordpress.com  Check it!

Goosebumps. Goose pimples. Whatevs.

I'm not sure what you call them, but this song gives them to me every time.  Completely obsessed is what I am; this song's been on repeat for three days.  Enjoy:

"Blood" by The Middle East

Mr. and Mrs. Brauer

Every once and awhile two incredible people bump into each other, fall in love, and begin to live life together.  That's how I feel about Jess and Daniel who are both called Brauer now.  I love this couple.  Absolutely love them.

Being a part of Jess' and Daniel's special day was a blessing.  They know and share so much love between each other; it's nothing short of encouraging to be around them.  Every time we hang out, I feel a special sort of grace.  The kind that draws me back toward the heart of it and pushes me forward into a deeper desire for our God.  And a kind of grace that gives me good perspective on the tumultuous world of dating, attraction, and love.  The Brauers are a power couple, and I expect nothing short of amazing.

It's funny to think that the people pictured above weren't my friends one year ago.  It's even funnier to remember that I almost didn't go back to Bible study, because I felt so young around these ones.  And different from them.  But experiencing their friendship and talking about life and God together has made me rich this year.  Sometimes the friends we don't hand-pick are the ones that grow us most in the areas we forget.

Because I Am that Lazy, yet that Hopeful...

To train or not to train for a Half Marathon?

  (This is the question.  But, really, the resolve.)

In the spring I trained for a 5K and had a stellar time of 28 minutes for my first attempt.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to run it due to a nasty, breathing-prohibited sickness which turned into a month as a cesspool-germ-incubator/allergy festival who sat on the couch and watched Felicity in it's entirety.  I'd like to say that the sickness brought on five pounds, but I know the Felicity addiction did me in.  (Anyone who thinks it's impossible to resist Noel:  you're on, and you'll buy me a drink, when I prove you wrong!)  To combat my flubber, I tried my first-ever, two-week crash tone-up diet before the Vegcation to look good for... no one?  Not one of my most shining spirals into sloth...

This summer I've dragged my body down the neighborhood gulch "to get a run in" and done Core Secrets when feeling excessively flabby.  In reality I've half-assed my fitness routine this season in exchange for summer shandy and the infinitely-flattering sundress/belt combination.  Ooh la la. 

Sundress/Belt Combination:  Results Yielded!  Try it, Ladies!

It appears that I'm doing this because of a lack of "self-esteem" or having "poor body image," but this isn't about that at all.  It dawned on me that I start graduate school in about one month, and once that new chapter of my story begins, I will go into crazy mode.  And I can be either crazy-busy yet balanced or just crazy.  So, in training to run a half-marathon in early November, I take a big step to take care of me.  And to look "good," because I care for myself, not for anyone in particular.  And to feel good, because I am healthy, not to prove that I am athletic or meet a social standard.  And to set a big, motivational goal that proves I can accomplish what I set my mind to.

The face of determination.  

I believe that we love, serve, and understand others best when we are balanced and healthy ourselves.  What I do to help, challenge, and grow myself, is ultimately an action that may help others progress as well.

If you have any tips (or desire to be my running buddy!), drop a comment.  I'll update through the process and post some pictures of sweaty-nastiness... probably not.  What are you doing to take care of you?  

Cheers to being the best we can be!

Soul Longings

In a completely spontaneous moment, I ran into my best friend from elementary and middle school at church.  Seeing her brought me back to my wistful, ten-year-old self who knew every Point of Grace song by heart and wore (all too regularly) a favorite, intentionally-over-sized t-shirt that said, "People Use Duct Tape to Fix Everything.  God Used Nails."

Obviously, I was completely ridiculous.  The Christianese has escaped my vocabulary, and the poor fashion stays in the closet...for the most part.  For these changes I am thankful.  The twelve-year-old nostalgia brought back more than memories of awkward fashion, and I realized that at this age, my family traveled abroad, and I went on my first missions project to Morocco.  I failed to appreciate the cultural experience, and overall the trip was awful.  When I wasn't fighting with my mother, I threw up every five seconds.  I can't name half the cities we visited or names of people we met, but with complete clarity I remember what I thought while holding sweet, baby Karim, and listening to the story of how his adoptive mother found him next to a dumpster only a few months before:  if I hold baby Karims for the rest of my life, I will be content.

It's odd, I think, what sticks with us as we age and change.  I can't escape the desire to find the Karims of the world.  Some people refer to it as a "calling," and others call it "vocation," but I like the term "soul longing."  It's the idea we can't explain despite the passage of time or our efforts to try other things.  Somehow everything makes sense in the context of those moments, even when we have opportunities more advantageous, logical, or prestigious.  Most importantly, in those moments we feel most alive.  When we are not experiencing a soul longing, we're chasing after one.

In the story of Jesus' early life, Scripture says that his mother, Mary, watched him and "treasured" all the moments "inside her heart."  I'm not a theologian, but when I read that, I think that Mary's soul felt a bit like my own while holding Karim.  Mary knew that giving life to the world's savior was her deepest calling and the experience that would forever define her existence, her very own soul longing.  She treasured those moments, because she knew what they meant and implied for the remainder of her life. 

Remembering that 10-year-old me makes me long for those moments and places where I feel that completeness more than ever.  In that place there are no professional hoops to jump through or frustrated desires.  Just being.  But then I consider that while in that state, there's no longer necessity to get better. Essentially that's the end.  And I am so far from being ready for the end.  And that alone motivates me to jump through the hoops, try things on for size, and make some horrific blunders.  Because if I'm not doing that, I suppose I'm not living at all.

So my hope for you, for me, is that we stay quiet in those moments when our souls long and find the courage to chase those longings without thinking too hard or feeling too little until Christ decides to complete us.

Peace.

When I'm Not Blogging...

I LOVE ME SOME SUMMER!

... I am doing these fun summer things!! (or wanting to do them before grad school begins in September) You gotta have a little listy-list to make the time worthwhile.

1.  Go on a vacation.
2.  Run a 5k.
3.  Finish the Millenium trilogy.
4.  Camp in the sanddunes.
5.  Roadtrip somewhere.
6.  Pick fresh berries.  And make some homemade jam to give to my new neighbors!
7.  Host a backyard party!  Cocktails and Yummies
8.  Run every day of one week.
9.  Make organic cleaners.  (Away with you, awful toxins!)
10.  Tube down the river.
11.  Obtain a kick-ass suntan.  
12.  No TV for a week.  (Netflix has destroyed me!)
13.  Brew wine.
14.  Have a girls' sleepover then go to Snooze for breakfast the following morning.
15.  Hike a 14er.
16.  Go to one of those wine tastings for singles... shame, I know, but then I can say I've done it.  And I'll get to wear a sexy dress.
17.  Visit Mesa Verde.
18.  Go to the Penny Arcade in Manitou Springs!! :)
19.  Learn how to make sushi!
20.  Hike to a listen to a concert at Red Rocks.
21.  Tour New Belgium brewery.
23.  Paint something worth hanging on the wall of the new apartment.
24.  Kayak at the pretty lakes up I-70.
25.  Take Dad to a Rockies game!

And plenty more.  What are you up to this summer?

The Birds and the Bees sing in the trees.  La-da-di-do-da!

A Roadtrip, a Frieniversary, and a Vegcation.

Summer is rooted deep in my system, and in order to enjoy it to the fullest, I neglect things like blog posting and cleaning the bathroom every weekend (well, that later one might be out of spite... just kidding.)  Last week I had a great excuse, though, because I toured a few apartments, found a keeper, and signed a lease then hopped on the road for a much-needed vacation to Las Vegas with Morgan.

(The above picture is proof that, in Vegas, everyone-even savvy world travelers who like to blend in as much as possible-is a tourist.)

We like to give every cool thing we do a name, so we called this trip the Vegcation.  And we had so much fun, we resolved to do it every year (not Vegas but a vacation together), so our trip became the first Frieniversary.  It was THE BEST!  No diapers, no rain, no alarm clocks, and no iCal.  Instead of all those things, I got to enjoy poolside cocktails, Trader Joe's, Cirque du Soleil, and a fluffy bed.  It was fabulous.  And now I have a kick-ass tan to flaunt for the rest of the summer.

("Smile, we're almost to Vegas!")

Roadtrips bring out the most intriguing conversations, especially while driving twelve hours through incredible scenery.   Ironically, we kept commenting on how beautiful the creation was, which made God even more cool than he already is, on our way to Sin City.  And we discussed a game-plan to avoid getting roofied, which turned into an establishment of standards for whom we would and would not accept free drinks.  Edification in the highest.

(Who needs weirdos to buy you a free drink, when you can purchase a magical, frozen, Purple Rain slushy for yourself?  Don't worry... it contained only three shots and acai berry.  Balance, Baby!)

Turns out we were too creeped out by the men to accept any free drinks, so we bought our own; however, we accepted the free dining credits from the concierge at the resort.  It's great when the service-industry messes up in Vegas!  And we skipped the night clubs upon realization that even our most "club-appropriate" outfits were something that the grandmas wear out on in V-Town.

(In Vegas you meet the most intriguing people and see the most unusual things, which includes women who creep into photos and look like E.T.)

Cheers to staying classy in Vegas (and all the time)!  And looking hot despite the failed attempt at a two-week bikini crash-diet!  And to amazing vacations with amazing friends! :)