i got an iphone.

i'm officially cool and now own an iphone. this is good because now i can put pictures on the blog!! pictures like this:

so cool!

currently.

ryan and i! the most current photo i have

Reading: i'm sort of reading the drowned cities by paolo bacigalupi. i finished ship breaker a few months ago, and i didn't really like it. which was a bummer since it had been recommended to me based on other books that i've read and have loved. but oh well! i can't like every book i read! so, i didn't like ship breaker, but there was one character in it that i connected with. and the drowned cities is a companion novel to ship breaker that follows the story of that one character. so i'm kind of reading it, but it hasn't really hooked me in yet. we'll see how it goes!

Watching: last night i watched john carter with my friends ryan and michael. waste of time! but we had nothing else to do really. ryan ended up sitting there with his sunglasses on or reading his phone (haha! dork!) and michael kept imitating the character's accents (again, dorks!!). but i had fun hanging out with them!!

Thinking about: how short and fragile life is. a girl from my high school passed away this morning. she had had kidney problems and my high school pastor who is now my college group pastor had donated his kidney to her a few years ago. sadly, she went into cardiac arrest last night and couldn't be revived. but now she is in the arms of her savior and is in no more pain. my heart hurts for her family and friends, but i'm so happy that they know the Lord and that their hope and peace are found in Him. two verses keep coming to mind. psalm 139:16: "your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." so it was no surprise to God that today was her day to go home to be with Him. the other verse i keep thinking of is psalm 144:4, "man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow." her passing really was a wake up call to me to remind me again just how short and fragile life is and how important it is to live full out for the Lord.

Loving: my new saltwater sandals. i've wanted them for over a year now! and i'm happy to say that i now own two pairs. haha! michael called them jesus sandals. but i still like them! plus, if jesus would wear them then that's a good thing, right??

Anticipating:  romania. not counting today, i leave in 33 days? somewhere around there. and that's really soon. really really soon. 

Listening to: nothing at the moment. i'm in the library at school. and i don't have headphones with me. bummer! but i was listening to lady antebellum this morning while i was driving to school. that's about as much country as i can handle. yeah, country music and i are not friends. and we never will be. but it's okay though, we're both fine with that ;)

Eating: i'm drinking a chai tea latte right now. kind of. well, i mean, i did buy one a little bit ago. but now it's just staring at me. i'll probably give the rest to my sister. but you know what i wish i was eating? peas. i love peas.

Feeling thankful for: my friends. i love them! and i'm also really thankful to have the house to myself this week (besides the fact that natalie is there too). i mean, i of course would not want my parents to be gone forever but having some time to myself has been so nice!

happy 30th.

mom and dad in hawaii 2010

just wanted to say happy 30th wedding anniversary to my parents. i hope you guys are having a wonderful time in sonoma!!

mother's day

fish fest 2009

my mom is off in sonoma/napa valley with my dad for their 30th wedding anniversary this week. so, i don't get to spend mother's day with her this year. but it's okay, because she told me that they are having a great time (no sightings of the bachelor though aka ben! hah!)

happy mother's day mom. thank you for always looking out for me and for showing me Christ's love when i needed it the most. i love that you write me letters and text me that you love me throughout the day. you are the sweetest. i love you very much!

be strong and courageous

so my trip to romania is quickly approaching (it's a little less than 6 weeks away!). and i cannot believe it is already here and soon i'll be there. i don't remember if i talked about any of my fears concerning the trip on here, but i have been freaking out a little about the thought of staying in romania for 7 weeks. it was getting to a point where i would have little mini panic attacks when i thought or prayed about the trip. my fears were always about me. i would tell God that i was scared of being there for 7 weeks. scared i would freak out and want to come home. scared i wouldn't get along well with the other team members. scared that i would go crazy being around my friends for so long with no breaks. scared i wouldn't have any time for myself. scared that i was only going to romania because i wanted to go and that the Lord hadn't really called me there. these fears were taking over any of my thoughts towards the trip and i started to have a negative outlook on the whole thing. and then God told me to stop (in a kind and loving way of course :). He reminded me that He was going to use me and that all my fears and concerns were selfish. they were all about me and my comfort. and i am so glad that He reminded me that this trip was not in any way about me. it's all about Him and what He wants to accomplish there through myself and the team.

last saturday, we had a breakfast for all the girls going on the trip. and one of the girls made everyone cards and each person got a specific verse. mine was so perfect. i know God put it on her heart to give to me. God is so sweet like that! my verse was,

Deuteronomy 31:6: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you."

*

it was amazing reading this verse on my card! i wanted to cry! i'm so happy to know that God knows all about my fears and that He promises that He will be with me and take care of me. i just love Him :)

*image found here

currently

Reading: Insurgent by Veronica Roth. Divergent is one of my favorite books and i have been waiting for Insurgent to come out. i'm only in chapter 4, but so far so good :) plus, four is there. possibly my favorite book boyfriend ever. yeah, he probably is.

Watching: well, last night i watched some of How I met Your Mother with natalie. j-just would be proud of me, since she's been telling me to watch the show for a long time now. and i was not disappointed! it's pretty funny!! natalie was dying laughing every five seconds. 

Thinking about: this book, forgotten god by Francis Chan. i just finished reading crazy love by Chan a few weeks ago. i downloaded all the books for free on Easter and am so happy that i did! Chan really wants you to dig deeper into God's word and wants you to really understand what you believe and why you believe it. this book is all about the Holy Spirit. and so far i have been loving reading it! the fact that the God of the universe dwells in me is insane. and i've thought about this stuff before, but going through this book in particular has really helped me to understand even more how much of a crazy idea this really is! but it's so true! and i'm so thankful that God does dwell in me and that His Spirit resides in me.

Loving: lot's of things. #1: beach babe dvd. i love karena and katrina! they're really inspiring and funny. and i really have been enjoying working out with them through their dvds. seriously, go buy a copy! #2: blogging!! i know i haven't been blogging much, but it really makes me happy reading other people's blogs. makes me feel like i'm a part of their lives in some small way. weird? i don't think so!

Anticipating:  how i leave for romania in exactly 7 weeks. and that i will be there for 7 weeks. and 7 weeks seems like such a short amount of time (as in, i can't believe i'm leaving so soon!!!), but then it seems like such a long time (as in, i can't believe i am staying in another country for 7 weeks!!). i'm excited. but mostly really nervous. but, me being nervous or worried is because i'm simply focusing on myself. focusing on my needs and my wants and my insecurities. and not focusing on what God has planned or what He wants to do with the 7 weeks. so, i'm trying to be a little less worried or anxious :) but still, 7 weeks!!!!

Listening to: this song has been stuck in my head lately. i first heard about sucre through elsie's blog because her husband is a part of the band (and he is an amazing musician!). and the lead singer, stacy, was originally in the band eisley. i knew she looked familiar! i've also been listening to the mars volta a lot recently. talk about bringing back memories! hmmmm

Eating: peanut butter. lot's of peanut butter. peanut butter and cheez-its. it's so bad for you. but it's so good at the same time. so i try to limit myself to just a few pieces a day. it reminds me of going to my grandma's house when i was little. she always had these orange crackers that had peanut butter in between the crackers. yummy!

Feeling thankful for: a lot of the little things. lately, i've been really thankful for my health and the fact that i don't have any health issues. it's something that i easily take for granted everyday. the fact that i don't have any allergies or sensitivities. it truly is a blessing that i easily forget about.

7 weeks til go time!

i leave for romania in 7 weeks. that's really weird. that is all.

some of the team