worthy of a rave

i am constantly being reminded of the promise that is this verse. which then brings me to a place of reflection over God's continued faithfulness and provision. i stand in awe everyday, seeing that the sun has risen once again, knowing that HE is Lord and that He knows my heart's desires even more than i do. recently, i have found myself skilled in managing my time but yet being extremely blessed by the somethings that i never could have planned for. God does not belong in a box and cannot be controlled by our wants and actions, because HE is the one who knows what we need... HE is the one who knows our lives from beginning to end... and HE is the one who deserves all of our praise.

so with that said, i believe that this past weekend is worthy of a rave. its pieces fit together so perfectly and blessed me in a way that i never could have tried to administer on my own- the limbos, spontaneity, laughter, simplicity, and conversations of complete sincerity.


this beautiful new friend has blessed my life so much in the past month. we stay up so late, share every story under the sun, laugh about infomercials, eat yummy snacks like "pizza? pie. cake!" (according to me&micah) and puppy chow, get coffee in to-go cups even though we'd prefer the real ones, laugh about pumpkin pie, eat grilled pizza, help kids with their homework and laugh hysterically about rhymes and goats, keep warm by fires or with blankets, clean up from garage sales, laugh and go crazy about flying insects, brainstorm ideas, encourage one another, and laugh some more. we sure have got something good goin' on <3


spending time with the dakin clan will always bless me, i am sure of it. smiles from pais, laughing at juju, cuddling with sweet baby girl, having too much fun with foz, sharing in meaningful and heartfelt conversations with their mama, and seeing their dad hard at work pursuing a dream of his, remind me of the greatness of stories. their story. my story. all of our stories. the ins and outs, the ups and downs... the beauty that our vapor-like lives can carry.


it was a mere 5 years ago when i met these girls. they still bless me to this day because their spirits are full of joy, their souls are strong and true, and their hearts are overflowing with love... and now one of them is a mrs.! so crazy, yet so wonderful...


my dad loves nascar and hunting and fishing... and my mom loves to garden, cut coupons, and read the newspaper... and i do live 45 min away and see them only a few times a month, but the time when i am surrounded by their presence, i feel blessed. blessed because i have good parents who support me, laugh with me, and try their hardest to enjoy a night out for dinner even if the restaurant is loud. i wouldn't trade them for the world...

all in all, i believe that these people are blessing me so much because i am being reminded of bits of the heart of God that hold fast through all circumstances, love through all trials, and reveal greatness when i am least expecting it. friendships that began years ago have been wonderful and the new ones are seemingly just as grand. being able to sit down, learn about what comprises another person's story, and laugh about the simplest things, makes my heart beat big. it's quite humbling to feel that my heart's desires have truly come from the Lord and that He is fulfilling them to their greatest potential, in His perfect time. life has many beautiful tales to tell, and the 55 hours of this past weekend certainly seemed worthy of a rave.

wonderful things that i'm loving

- all the TOMS scattered throughout our apartment


- the season premiere of Glee

- crossing things off my to-do lists

- getting mail from home

- staying up late enough to greet a new day, sharing laughs & stories with a sweet friend

- hobby lobby treasures

- walking to school

- peanut butter... with jelly, or apples, or just straight outta the jar

- social networking with my parents

- gettin' tatted up!


- all natural soymilk

- free shirts

- learning how to use my camera more effectively... without having to read the owner's manual ;)

- learning new photoshop techniques from simple readings and tutorials

- a new healthy snack option

- spending time with high school friends


- reading and being so inspired by other bloggers' words and stories

- extreme coffee toffee at fusion brew

- spending time with my brother


- thunderstorms

- getting an A on my first project at ISU

- christmas music blasting out of my speakers as it sneaks it's way into my shuffle of itunes

- laughing with anae and ellyce

- unexpectedly seeing so many of my family members when i visit peoria for a weekend

- new friendships with girls who i feel like i've known forever

- studying Colossians

- the thesaurus widget on my dashboard

a wild compromise

i've been wishing lately that there were more hours in a day... or that time would pause for a bit so i could get more things done. and you'll never believe it but time did in fact come to a stand still tonight at work. it obviously came at a rather inopportune time though, in a moment when i was committed to my shift of work and had no textbooks around to do some catch up on readings. but regardless of that, and despite our complaints about 6:30 lasting 45 minutes and the clock hands never turning, we made our long drug-out hours of work some of the funniest. we danced and played cat's cradle and had little fights and every now and then would fold a shirt or straighten the jean wall... and when the few customers did need some assistance, we put on our straight faces and helped them out.

i just love working with people. i love building relationships and i love the considerable amount of laughter that we become overwhelmed with. and even though i do have school work that needs to be done and tasks to be conquered, work is sort of becoming like an escape. it's a wild compromise, getting paid to hang out with friends, but i sure am enjoying it. the only way it could get better is if there were no hangers, price guns, or POS systems involved!

all is well

as i sit here in our little living room, snuggled up with my stripe blank, drinking warm vanilla biscotti flavored coffee, soaking in the sweet melodies of worshipers streaming through my computer's speakers, and feeling god's presence right where i am... i am fulfilled by the church i chose for myself on this morning.

when i meet new friends and carry on conversations without any hesitations, openly learn and share stories, and laugh and be silly and make jokes... i am thankful for relationships that are just meant to be.

when i talk with old friends and reminisce about past happenings, chat with mamas who are full of stories about children and love and joy and life, and visit with best friends who comfort and bring deep laughter and conversations... i am glad that i get to live life with others.

and with our apartment looking more fall-inspired, the flame of our spiced pumpkin candle flickering and it's aroma filling the air, and the candy corn treats at rest in the bowl on our coffee table... i am excited that fall is here.

in this moment, i am at peace. i am content with my surroundings and my new friends and old are never far. i may be a bit behind with my homework and have to-do lists that somehow continue to grow and due dates that are soon to arrive, but the joy of the lord is my strength and his grace is all i need.

'He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.' - 2 Corinthians 12:9

buddies and beauties

i spent most of my saturday with these fun friends. we walked to the square, shopped the canisters of candy at hollands, hung out by the fountain, played outside in the yard, laughed lots, practiced our spanish, ate lots of pizza, and had a very lovely day.


micah likes to play jokes and will make sure i know about so many things, like vitamins and motorcycles and mustangs and baseball.


these two are so sweet and they are each other's best friend. anae is so brave and ellyce is so caring... and both of their one handed kartwheels are amazing!


our little buddy carter talks so much about elmo and wawa and dada. his smile is the sweetest and we love his wobbly little run :)

these littles bless my life and i love the days that i get to spend with them!

festival isu

yesterday was festival isu and our university's quad was lined with booths of student groups and local businesses. there were wheels to be spun, prizes to be won, limbo games to play, dance contests, a dunk tank, and a giant blowup water slide to go down. not only was this event loud and fun, and a nice mix up from regular-ol-breaks-between-classes, it also offered us the chance to learn about clubs we could join and what sorts of things our school has going on.



oh, and there was lots of free food samples from local restaurants. calzone slices from d.p. dough, DQ dilly bars, fusion brew tea samples, and tiny little pasta dishes from noodles & company. and free snacks of popcorn, freeze pops, cotton candy, cupcakes, suckers, and fun size candy bars... we had no need whatsoever to go somewhere else for lunch.



so besides leaving the festival overstimulated by people and noise, and a full stomach, i had with me tons of fliers and isu freebie items. it was a good and successful day out there on the quad and i certainly have more of a glimpse into what sorts of things i want to get involved in here... now i just wait for all those initial emails telling me what's up and where to meet!