Song of the day: By Your Side - Tenth Avenue North

Just really feeling this today...

Why are you striving these days?
Why are you trying to earn grace?
Why are you crying?
Let me lift up your face.
Just don't turn away.

Why are you looking for love?
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough?
To where will you go child?
Tell me where will you run?
To where will you run?

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you.
My hands are holding you.

Look at these hands and my side.
They swallowed the grave on that night.
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life.
I want to give you life.

(Chorus 2x)

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go

It's a bittersweet symphony

The last few weeks have been quite a whirlwind...full of so much change, my head is still spinning, so I'm taking this Saturday morning to sit on my third floor patio with my new beagle/basset puppy Darcy and soak it all in. It's really the first chance I've gotten to breathe since finding out I got the job in North Carolina.

Let me catch you all up. First of all, God is good. Very, very good. He truly does things more wonderful than we can ask or imagine. I have a great apartment, a job I adore (I'm the new children's librarian at the Kernersville Branch Library!), a precious puppy dog (my first friend in NC!), a new car (fond farewell to my 98 Mustang and a fond hello to my Edge!) and the fresh start I've been waiting for. God does answer prayers, and I don't ever trust Him enough.

This morning I checked out all the adorable little shops in downtown K-Vegas (as the locals call it). I had breakfast (for $3.00!) at this hole-in-the-wall Irish diner and a delicious red velvet cupcake at this cutesy bakery. I found some really nice consignment shops and gift shops and...a bookstore/cafe! Score! To quote Annie, "I think I'm gonna like it here!"

I'm looking forward to meeting lots of new people and finding a good church where I can meet people my age again. There are tons of young people up here...and plenty of good churches to choose from! I sure do miss a certain group of 8th grade girls though! So glad we got to have that slumber party before I left...love y'all much!

Also, thank you all for your prayers for me and my family during the past few weeks. It was rough losing my grandmother, but Mimi was a very vivacious woman who loved the Lord, and she will always be with us. She made her living as a theatre director, and I'm sure right now she's putting on a performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Heaven...and bossing people around as usual. :) I miss her a lot, and it's hard to believe she's actually gone, but I know she's in a better place. Please keep praying for my grandfather as he copes with the silence around his house...such bubbly personalities are the easiest to notice when they are gone.

Anyway, here's to a new chapter of my life as an (gasp!) adult! "The rest is still unwritten..."

Don't blink...you might be MISSING something

We had an incredible DNOW weekend with our 8th grade girls. The theme was Missing, which was appropriate since I have apparently been missing something about our girls. At some point, I must have blinked and they turned from amazing, goofy, fun fifth-graders into beautiful, mature young women in Christ. I see them every week, and I was still amazed at how much they've grown in their faith. Nothing excites me more or makes me trust more in God than seeing their excitement for Him and His word. And, I'm just gonna tell ya...I got choked up when I saw them all huddled up praying for each other. God is good. I am blessed. Ministering always seems to give you back more than you can manage to give out.

Love you, girls. Thank you for allowing Nichole and me to be a part of your lives and your sisters in Christ. You'll never know how much your friendships mean to me. Thank you for revitalizing my own relationship with God this weekend by witnessing your love for Him.

And I'm so proud you didn't throw fruit!!!

Snow!

As I'm writing this, my blinds are drawn, and I'm watching big, fat snowflakes float to the ground. Time to make hot chocolate! Saints' Super Bowl win, snow, Mardi Gras parades, and crawfish all in one week?! I love winter!

Unchanging and Relentless

I'm so glad that even when my circumstances seem out of control, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) and that even when I don't feel like running hard after God, He is sprinting after me.

Black and Gold Super Bowl!!!

If you still needed reassurance that miracles still happen, you got your proof tonight! The Saints won the Super Bowl!!! Wow! Geaux Saints! Who dat?!

What a great time to be in Louisiana. In the six and a half years I've lived in this glorious state, I've witnessed LSU's two football national championships, one basketball Final Four, and one baseball national championship...and to top it all off, a Lombardi trophy for the Saints! Pretty amazing stuff.

Congrats to Sean Payton, Drew Brees, and the Saints...it's just another example of how excellent leadership on and off the field is what truly makes champions at heart.

And seriously, wasn't that image of Drew Brees and his baby just tear-jerking? Awww.

Oh, and one more thing...check out my fleur de lis cookies! The icing's pretty sloppy, but I was nervous for the game!

More pain in Haiti

Another earthquake struck the already-overwhelmed Haiti this morning. Please be in prayer for the people of Haiti and relief workers from all over the world trying desperately to regain some sort of order and save as many lives as possible. If you're able, please think about giving to any of the may relief funds. My fund of choice is Compassion International's Disaster Relief Fund. To donate, click here: https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/disasterrelief.htm?referer=105910.

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