Cozy Winter Weekend

I kind of want to go back and replay it all over again :) This weekend was relaxing, slow, and re-energizing.

It began Friday night spending some much needed time with my roommate. I don't think we've sat down together to talk or watch a movie with with one another since before Christmas! After staying up entirely too late, I consequently spent all day Saturday in my pajamas. :) But don't worry...I was still productive!

 

 

 

 

I've been working on my first ever quilt! I may have gone a little overboard with the floral prints, but they were all just so pretty it was hard to only choose a few. And now I have plans for ten more quilts...if only there were time!

 

Sunday consisted of lunch at a nearby bakery where I bought my favorite tea cookies to compare with a recipe I found online (recipe to come!). I accomplished a significant amount of schoolwork and still had time to spend a few hours visiting good friends, baking up some delicious banana muffins to eat while we chatted, and got started on a thick, cream-colored scarf.

I'm feeling well rested and ready to attack whatever may come this week...which just happens to be a few mid-terms!

Happy Friday!

Whew! This has been one crazy week (aren't they all though?). On Wednesday morning I was reading through my desk devotional that talked about finding a continuous peace.

"You will not find lasting peace in the world around you, in circumstances, or in human relationships. The human world is always in flux-under the curse of death and decay. But there is a gold mine of Peace deep within you, waiting to be tapped."

 

Wednesday morning was a good day...I was coming off a night of spending time with friends, was all caught up on school work, and planning to spend just a few hours in the office replying to emails before reading a bit before my afternoon classes. Oh and the sun was shining! That really makes all the difference, don't you think?

 

Basically, I was feeling peaceful. It was easy for me in that moment to read the words above and say to myself, 'You know, I should always feel this peace, this unrushed contentment for each moment in life.' So, I began to pray. I knew that life would turn in just a few days to 'How am I going to do this for two more years?' craziness as midterms and projects approached. But at that moment, I for some reason felt like I could manage those days, no problem. So I asked the Lord to help me search for and trust in His peace even in those moments of uncalm.

 

Lucky for me, He gave me the opportunity just a few hours later. Thanks God!

 

Really though...it was such a good chance to practice trusting the Lord and I am so thankful for all that transpired in the day following:

 

Basically, I was working on a few presentations for my school counseling class late Wednesday night when I came across an e-mail from my professor...she was looking forward to hearing from each of my classmates the next day about our classroom guidance plans and would also be posting the midterm for us to take at the end of class.



 

Midterm? Guidance Plan? Crap!

As I considered what her e-mail meant....I would be making two presentations, creating and turning in a guidance plan, and studying for/taking a mid-term, I realized that there was just not enough time to finish it all.

 

I wish I could tell you that I did not freak out that night. But after accidently falling asleep around 3AM and not waking up until 7AM, I realized that I could only do so much in the little time that was left. As I got ready for work that morning I made a tentative plan in my mind of how I could arrange my day to get as much as possible done, but really just gave it all to the Lord. What was going to happen was going to happen, and I didn't want to spend my day at work snapping at people because I was stressed out with my own circumstances! Was I still concerned about class that night? Yes. But I went through my work day doing what I needed to do and was able to actually enjoy the parts of studying that I did get in.

 

So class came...and not only did my presentations go smoothly, but we were dismissed an hour early and given a week to finish the mid-term...using any text or notes that we needed! I let out a few Hallelujah's and Amen's that night, and was sooo relieved that I wouldn't be taking my mid-term blindly!

 

So did I learn a lesson from all this? I don't know if that's what I would call it. Really, it was just so sweet depending on the Lord when I was stressed and knowing that no matter how my exam or presentations went, that did not change who God was or how He saw me. This was a temporary flux in life and God was constant. The completed assignments and week to finish the exam were just icing on the cake. :)

 

Happy weekend everyone! After coming down from that slight anxiety attack I'm ready to relax this weekend, pouring over textbooks and sipping on warm tea trying to stay afloat admist a busy semester while still finding ultimate peace in my Maker.

 

 

 

Weekend Getaway

Andrea Bocelli. While I was waiting on friends at Starbucks last night, one of his albums was playing through-out the store. It made my day to hear him unexpectedly in public. Oh the little things!

The sound is a little shaky, but I think it portrays just a little

of how truly talented this man is!

 

Last summer, when I was still living in Alaska, I came home to visit my family for a week and passed a billboard with Andrea's face on it, announcing that he would be performing in Chicago the following Winter! At that point, I was still waiting to hear back from the graduate school I had applied to on my acceptance status, but decided that if I was accepted into the program that Fall I would reward myself with tickets to see Andrea Bocelli around finals time.

 

 

 

 

Lucky for me, it all worked out! One of my very closest friends ventured with me to Chicago for a girls weekend, where we enjoyed the unseasonly warm weather wandering down the Magnificant Mile, ejoying the free light show at Lincoln Park Zoo, and staying in this cute little hostel!

 

It was the perfect weekend of catching up with my dear friend (who is getting married in just 3 months!! So exciting!), spending a little time away from books while enjoying the city, and ending the weekend listening and witnessing the voice of an angel!

 

 

The man sitting next to us shouted over and over at the end of the show 'Bravo, Bravo.' My thoughts exactly!

 

 

 

Coffee Night

I love Tuesdays! It's my one night of the week when I am done with work and class by 5 and can get caught up on homework, eat a real dinner, and even catch up on some Downton Abbey (okay...I spend a lot of days catching up on Downton, but it's just so good I can't seem to shut it off!). Tuesday really has become my peace amongst a rather chaotic remainder of the week.

I met up with a few friends at Starbucks last night after class but wanted to finish a project I been cooking up beforehand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 I found this adorable little fox stamp on etsy, and wanted to use it in a gift for my friend Katherine, who loves foxes. After searching the web for a little inspiration, I decided a sweet little stationary pack would make the perfect homemade gift with my new stamp.

 



 

I used three different colors of ink and stamped four cards in each color, tying them together with a dainty ribbon to finish. This project only took about 10 minutes, including writing a little personal note to attach to the stack. It was simple, but a personalized and unique little gift.

 

 

Visiting with Katherine and Josh was a great way to spend the relaxed evening. We did a lot of laughing and story telling, leaving me excited and anticipating doing it all over again soon!

 

 

 



 

I may not have accomplished all the things on my to do list last night (such as reading for this afternoon's class) but as Scarlett O'hara says, 'I'll think about it tomorrow.' Which I guess...is today. :)

 

 

 

 

Sweet Creations

 

My first week of Christmas break this December consisted of eating, watching netflix, and making Christmas presents. I had been looking forward to Christmas break so much, mostly because I was going to be able to bake, sew, and crochet all of the things I been adding to my list of things to do for the previous 4 months. I was so excited!

                                                

Unfortunately, I developed a serious sickness after my first week off. I became sick at the thought of crafting.





 I spent so many hours (only sleeping a few each night) working on my first few Christmas presents of the season that I literally became nauseous at even the thought of making or baking anything. My stomach churned when I opened a gift from my parents on Christmas morning....a package full of yarn and fabric scissors and everything lovely....that is, lovely before the craft sickness attacked!

I was afraid to admit that I might have lost a passion for something I dearly enjoyed doing all because I had over-indulged in a short amount of time. Luckily, after a few weeks off I am fully recovered. And even though I suffered for a little while afterward, the results of those few days work makes me very happy. :)

 

* Also, I bought a book to make the gift tags at The Unorganized Bookstore down the street. The owner told me if I took a photo of the tags to hang up in the store, he would give me a free book the next time I came in! What a blessing!!! :)

 

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Pray for Caleb!

A sweet family from my hometown needs prayers! Please lift them up and have your friends/family/ anyone you know cry out to the Lord for this family as well.

                                           

Their adorable little boy is on a waiting list to receive a heart, and with each day that passes he's getting sicker. Please pray that little Caleb gets a heart soon, for strength for his momma and poppa and all the people in his life that love him and are waiting for him to get better as well, and for all the people following this family's story and witnessing the amazing trust this family has in God as they continue to love and trust Him through this time.

You can read updates about Caleb at thekinnairds.blogspot.com.

People: What Truly Matters

I've been reminiscing a lot lately. Looking through old family albums, facebook photos, report cards;  I even read Oh, The Places You'll Go, a gift from my parents after graduating high school. I think this re-evalution of my life has begun because I'm not exactly sure where I'm going next, or what the future holds..kind of a scary thought when I forget to remind myself that my future is in God's hands, and I don't need to worry.

So on my path of reminiscence, I came across a photo of my friends and I at a bonfire on the beach. I suddenly thought about how much I love those people and what a treasure it was to get to spend precious time with such beauties. And then I read the comment I made underneath the picture.... something about how beautiful the mountains were in the background. REALLY?? That's what stuck out to me at the time...the mountains??? Myself now is a little appalled. But it's the people that matter!! Not the mountains!



Photot Credit: David Canales                                                   

As I think back to my time over the last year and a half, I am so blessed! Yes, the hikes were great, the scenery was incredible, and the slow and easy pace of the city made it easy to breathe and take life in one moment at a time. But none of tthose things would mean anything without love and relationships..hmm 1 Corinthians ringing a bell to anyone else?

I don't know who I like more, the girls or the dog. :)
 Just Kidding!! People, everyone! People!

The people I met and grew to love the past year and a half are so important to me. Bonfires and pretty views can be created lots of places, but true friendships with wonderful people, well I think I really lucked out.

When people ask me how my time in Alaska was, I hope I repy with something about the beauty of the hearts of the people I met, the people who left huge impressions on my heart.

 

We could be sisters, right? The sweetest child!

Jen and I are still working on the plaid project....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Missing This Girl

One of my favorie things about summer last year was spending time with this girl:

 

 

Audrey is one of the most fun, caring, and laid back people I know! She made my last few months in Anchorage a blast! She was always up for an adventure and willing to drive with me all over the place looking for one! We hiked/ ran Winner Creek one morning before work. I was so excited to show her the Butt Tree and talked up the 'big surprise' our whole hike. Unfortunately we walked right past it twice without noticing. Sorry Audrey! Go back and take photos with the Butt for me!

This photo was taken by my friend Kat...I stole it from her to give you a better picture of the tree in all it's glory. She also made a great calendar of the tree decorated accordingly for each month! She is so creative.

 

Here's a photo of my friend Nikki and I with the Butt Tree last Winter. It's a little iced over. And notice how much snow there is!

 

Audrey also threw not 1, but 2 parties for me (what a good friend!) this summer, along with cooking up some very delicious dishes! I think the oreo truffles were my favorite...or the pretzel bites. It's too close to call. We had lots of adventures together, but my favorites will just be talking with her at night (that is when I wasn't making too many noises with my mattress by slighlty wiggling a toe or finger) and laughing together while we watched Parks and Rec at the end of long days.

 

I love you Audrey! I miss you so very much but I know you're blessing your new roomies with you awesomeness just like you blessed me this summer. :) 

 

 

 

 

 

A Weekend of Friends

This weekend has been a break from working and school to enjoy my favorite part of life...spending time with friends! This weekend four of my closest friends from college came to visit (we missed you Jess!!). We met up where it all began...Marion, Indiana.

I met Melissa and Alisha my first week of college...all scared freshmen! Actually, I remember being introduced to everyone on what seemed like an enormous team at the time, and immediately decided I wouldn't worry about differentiating between these girls' similar names. Little did I know that these girls from Michigan would grow to be my closest friends. Linda and I met our freshamn year as well, but a little later in the semester. I invited her to join my family and I for Thanksgiving as she lived too far to go home for the short weekend. I guess it's impossible to spend a Holiday with my crazy family and not permenantly become part of it. (I actually can still vividly recall Linda sleeping away on the living room furniture as the men in my family cheered loudly watching a football game and the boys wrestled in the middle of the floor. If only she had known what she was getting her self into...).

Through the years Linda, Melissa, Alisha and I shared many adventures together. Linda became our biggest supporter as we ran (again..crazy) each weekend and ended up joining us for several races by the end of our college career. Our reunion weekend was full of laughter and catching up and celebrating milestones and new beginnings. It was so good to see these girls and be reminded of how truly blessed I am to have such close, Godly women in my life. Leaving our close community of friends after graduating proved how difficult it is to find friends that you can truly connect with. I'm excited to cheer these girls on as we continue to move through life together. <3

Sunday afternoon was a day of relaxing and catching up on work neglected from the weekend. After wrapping up most of my homework by 8pm, Linda and Tyler stopped by. Together we enjoyed apple crisp and a pretty competitive game of Blokus! These unexpected visits are my favorite! I love when friends feel comfortable enough to stop by unannounced for a short time of visiting and enjoying each others company. Amy and I were so blessed to host friends most nights our last year of college..and I've missed that steady flow of familiar faces and laughter. The weekend wrapped up with a Monday dinner visit from Scottie and Zoey!

 It was so good to spend time with friends this weekend and be reminded of what's truly important in life. Admist projects and papers I can sometimes lose myself to the stress of admittedly little things. Thank you friends for making these last few days full of smiles and happy times :)
 

A Day Off

Well, it has been a very long time since I've posted anything here. However, after making lots of changes over the past year and not wanting to forget any of these experiences, I have decided to keep a 'virtual scrapbook' or 'diary' if you will, that I can look back on in years to come. And hopefully this will be a better attempt to stay in touch with my dear friends who I do not contact often enough....I truly do love and think about you often even if it has been months since we've talked!

I movd back to Marion a little over a week ago and I can honostly say things have been very busy since then! I had originally planned to stay in Anchorage as long as possible to spend time with friends and co-workers I knew I would not be able to see for a very long time. What I did not consider was that I would need a few days to adjust to a new time zone and get settled into my new home before classes and work started. The result:

Yes, I have been working and learning here for about 10 days now and I have yet to finish unpacking my boxes. Whenever I do get a free minute from reading (the amount of reading in grad school is insane!) or working I have been spending my time either catching my breath or visiting with old friends. I think those things are important enough to put off a little unpacking for.... but not too much longer. Despite being terribly unorganized most of the time I am ready to walk into a room that has everything in its place with no extra work needed!

On Saturday I took a short study break and biked across the street to Goodwill. I was hoping to find some fabric for curtains and came across a few other treasures while I was there! The only downfall to not having a car is that not everything fits so nicely on my back!


The shelf tied nicely to the top of my backpack, although it made for a wide load!

I'm off to study...but be looking for later posts about my adventures in Alaska! I have some great photos from when my good friend Linda came to visit and we tried our hand at cross country skiing!
 

The Kingdom of God is SO Big!

Oh how God is working in amazing ways in Anchorage! First, I want to update you on the kids club we've been holding in a nearby trailer park. The community we've been reaching out to is Southwood Manner. Twice a week for an hour and a half we provide snacks and games for 10-30 kids. We've gotten to know our group of 'regulares' really well, and the kids are always excited for us to come back. We're praying and talking about ways to stay involved in the community at Southwood this Winter and Fall, so you can all be praying too that as we seek God's plans for the community He provides us with opportunities and openings to reach out not only to the kids but the adults as well. One of the things we're hoping to start is a tutoring program in the Fall that would not only help the kids with homework (and continue developing relationships with the kids from our summer club) but also share stories about Jesus with them...our ultimate goal. :) I am so excited for the things God has in store for the trailer park community, and so blessed to be part of sharing His kingdom there.
God has been doing lots of things in the lives of His followers here too! Every Thursday from 7-10pm , one of our leaders opens up a section of the church and designates time for prayer and solitude alone with God. After a busy week of constantly being surrounded and pouring into others, it is so great to sit in the presence of God and just completely rest in Him. Last Thursday at prayer night we got the opportunity to pray for healing over one of the guys in our group...it was awesome! I've never prayed over someone like that before, and it was so cool to see the body of Christ fervently praying for a another member to be restored from spiritual burdens. Last night we went to our friend Alana's house to pray for three different young women who are leaving for long and short term missions trips in the next week. It was so exciting to participate in lifting up and sending out disciples who are eager to spread God's word all over the world.  After lifting them up in prayer we worshiped God through song for the rest of the night. I can't explain how encouraging it is to be surrounded by so many people who are earnestly pursuing the Lord. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such a great community of Christians here. More to come soon!!



Right before my first hike; Rabbit Lake Trail




We camped right beside this beautiful lake that reflected the mountains.



Our campsite



We went to Seward to celebrate the 4th of July and hiked up Exit Glacier. This is the view from 2.5 miles up..where there was snow on the ground and it was still warm!



It was just dark enough to light up the sky with fireworks at midnight before the 4th.

Mount Marathon, a crazy trail race up this mountain, is held in Seward every year on the fourth. Runners scramble up the mountain and race back down as fast as they can. This is only a race for either the very talented or slightly insane..it was crazy to watch athletes come down covered in rock and mud.

Last Friday we hiked up Little O'Malley. This is the view of the mountains on a beautifully clear day!