Shopping

I've realized there is something about shopping I just like. I don't know what it is. Maybe the excitement and fun of owning something new? Or the fact that I gradually browse and browse for something and only buy it when I love it? It is a greater reward that way and it's no different when it comes to Christmas shopping. Because I love it. Shopping for gifts for my family is one of my favorite things. It's the work and time and effort you put into thinking about the best thing I could get for my Mom. Then the fun of her getting her gift and it being something she really really likes.

It's one of my strengths actually. Part of my #1 strength, individualization, means that I give good gifts to people because I understand them and am able to discern something that they would really like. So as I'm browsing for a gift for my Mom online and trying to think of what she would love I am having just as much fun looking online as I will giving her the gift. Actually that's probably not true, giving gifts is the best but I do love some good searching to produce one great gift.

Jack Frost

"If your happy thought isn't how much God loves you, then in times of crisis you'll look for comfort in all the wrong places." Jack Frost

Sometimes what gets me through the day is knowing I have something exciting to do that night, or that I have a week off from life next week when I'm on vacation.

This relates to a personal disbelief in how much God loves me. But it's all about love. And God would love me no matter what and I do not have to strive. Yet I sometimes believe that he only loves me when I am faithful with the blessings he has given me. I think sometimes I make an idol out of making wise decisions. Instead of believing that
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

I am a slave to making good decisions I'm afraid. But I say this with conviction not condemnation. I want a constant revelation of how I can break from my flesh and latch on to the spirit.

Mumford and Sons

They were amazing. So good. Their humility made me like them even more and their new music they played at the concert made my soul happy and now I cannot wait for new music from them.

These guys rock.

And they definitely "Awake My Soul"

Pat Conroy

So Pat Conroy is my favorite author. And he just came out with a new book on Tuesday called My Reading Life which I'm dying to read. And I looked him up online at http://www.patconroy.com/ and found he was doing a book signing in Atlanta in a few weeks! How exciting! I think it'd be great to go and see and author I claim is one of my favorites. But I don't want to go by myself... So I email my Mom. I say 

Hey Mom
Wanna go to a book signing by Pat Conroy? He just came out with a new book today and he's one of my favorite authors.

She responds with:

Thanks so much for inviting me, m but I have to go vote and then work at chick fil a night and then pass out from exhaustion!

Love ya,

Mom

It was just pretty funny to me that she responded with such a formal thanks but no thanks. Maybe she thought there were other people I was inviting? But whatever it was I don't think she realized that I wouldn't go if she didn't go with me. Oh well. Guess I'll have to travel to South Carolina sometime soon to hear him and I would totally be okay with that.

Books

Books are magical to me. They take me far away into a place that I have never known before but I begin to know the characters and how they would react and who they are... it is incredible and I zone into a book like nothing I've ever zoned into before. Not to sports, not to conversations with people but books are great.

I realize saying all this I run the risk of sounding like a total weird book kid but I just love reading and looking at people's bookshelves is something I do a lot. It helps me understand them as a person. (That's my context coming through. If you don't know what that means look here)

But in my anticipation of Pat Conroy's new book due in November titled My Reading Life I realize how much reading means and has meant to me. Especially as a child... "When you read a book as a child it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your life does."

Even now I find my life being so affected by what I read and it's one of the best ways that I learn spiritually now and learn about people in general. I am currently fascinated by Lisabeth Salander... 

Here It Goes Again

I'm sitting in room 108 at one of the greatest jobs I've ever had, waiting for one of my students to come and decided I would start blogging again. There are several reasons why today is the day and I shall list them.

1. I have 30 minutes to kill (which I just found out about... I thought it would be 15)
2. I just bought something off of this website which I found off another blog & felt super artsy
          p.s. when I ordered my Kindle cover they said this to me in the first line of the reciept email...High five empeagler@gmail.com, you just placed order No. 129564.** they just high fived me and I liked it
3. I have been thinking about it a lot lately and feel like I have some things to say again to the world. (not like I was a super blogger before but now I'm ready again
4. It's fall and it has put me in the mood for some reason

Thinking Pink

I've never been much into pink as anyone that knows me can tell you. Yet this summer a little something has gotten me more into pink than I've ever been. Her name is Grace and she is the adorable little girl I babysit. She just turned 5 and here is a picture of her on her birthday.

Grace and the Ariel bath set I gave her for her birthday- Ariel is her favorite

It was 8:30 in the morning. Just look past that. But she is so cute and loves pink and I now own a pink bathing suit cover up (which she loves to see me wear) and I found myself gravitating towards a pink coozie on a recent shopping adventure in Key West.


I really enjoy exploring a new side of pink in my life. I still stick to my shades of blue, which I wear a lot but pink is fun.

Thanks Grace for a new appreciation of all things PINK.

A Tribute

It's sad because on Monday I finished watching the final 3 episodes of Felicity that I hadn't watched with my roommates. I loved this show. And watching this girl

make such a mess of her life sometimes it was comical. But in the end I really liked this show, her friends, and her love interests. And now that it's over it means that my time with my roommates, living in the1490, and staying up too late to watch too many typical Felicity mistakes is also over. But I loved watching her for four years and even though the end was a little weird and I wasn't that big of a fan of her haircut, I still loved the show.


But still, college is over for me and Felicity and even though change happens, I'm still sad to know how it all ends.

Hopefully next year I'll still get to watch the random episodes Tyler still has and get the rest from the sketchy online site or from Sarah?

Until then...

Bye Felicity Porter.

Thank You V.V.

This is my new favorite song.

Just listen. I love it. 

I like it so much that I called a radio station (dave 92.9 if you must know) and asked them to play it for me on my birthday. I did not actually hear it but it was fun to call a radio station and request a song.


This song was just one of the many songs I purchased today on a little iTunes spree. Among them were Brandon Flowers' new single Crossfire and Kandi from One eskimO. I did consider buying the theme song to Whale Wars...

but did not and so far am not regretting it although the intro is catchy. "The world is a vampire dun nuh nuh" nuh

A Sign of the Times

It is wedding season which probably explains this but I'm beginning to gauge my friendships/ relationships based on where they would sit at my wedding. Now the date of my actual wedding is TBD since the date of my first date to some guy is also TBD. But theoretically, if my wedding was in 6 months, where would said person be at my wedding?

Would they be at the front with me / Do I have a crush on this friend and do I want to marry them?
Will they be on my other side as a faithful bridesmaid or even a maid of honor?

Will they awkwardly sit at the back, wondering if anyone would notice if they skipped the reception for they are a family member only there out of obligation?

Will they get to open the doors for me as I walk into the sanctuary or wherever I get married like I got to do for a great friend almost 3 weeks ago now?

Or will they just be somewhere in the middle? Really wanting to celebrate the special day by just being there for me?

I'm not really sure but for now don't ask me where you'll be ... we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Unless you have a crush on me and in that case ask me out already.

Kindle

I'm loving my Kindle more and more every time I use it. My dad knew me too well when he bought it. I discovered last night that you can post links to your twitter account or facebook of a particular passage in a book that you're reading on Kindle. How awesome?!?

And it has this handly little feature where I can preview part of the book for free to see if I like it.

One book that I did that with is called "A Year of Blind Dates" about a Christian woman and her reaction before, after and during blind dates after her first relationship ( including her first kiss) ended. Her first kiss was in this relationship at the age of 27. In the excerpt I already laughed out loud several times and I cannot wait to read it. Parts remind me of my roommates already and I love seeing that in people.


I'll let you know how it goes but for now I'm reading through Sullivan's Island with all the historic Charleston & beach life that I can handle. I knew I would love it.

New Designs!

Thank you blogger- you have finally offered me up some options for my blog design. I was about to switch over to tumblr and that would have been a tragedy as I'm not artsy or existential enough for that.

Windshield Wiper Worries

I have a confession...

I have insecurity about my windshield wiper speed when it rains.

I mean I may be crazy/ the only one that has this issue but when the rain starts pouring down I get self counscious about the rate at which my windshield wipers are flinging water off my car. I peer around and look at other drivers windshields to see how fast their wipers are going. I decide whether or not two feet to my right the water is not coming down as hard or if I'm just a little over eager with my wiper speed. I don't want to be the fool on Old Milton Pkwy with the out of control wipers and a little drizzle of rain for fear people may think that I'm overreacting to the water coming from the sky. Which I'm sure they're not but people are crazy so who knows what they're thinking about.

How insecure can I be? Apparently a lot. (I'm also insecure that I'm the only one that worries about this) haha

Confession 2: I judge people as oblivious when their wipers are out of control fast- you know the speed where you are just waiting for the wiper to just fling right off the car and maybe even take the antenna while it's at it. Yeah that speed- well people just look silly when they are unable to adapt the speed of their wipers to the changing rain fall.

But maybe it's just me?

Failure is Good

I decided to start fresh with a little clarity and post grad living to influence my blog. I really want to do everything that I do completely and with my all. Like that ever happens. Not false humility here. Just some honest truth. But I once heard in class when we were learning about Emmett Till and the civil rights movement that there came a time and point when people decided to use their bodies to prove their point. They decided to put their lives at risk for the greater good.

And now my life isn't a life or death thing where I daily decide if I will live or die based on a cause I support but to read Romans 12:1-2 about offering my body as a living sacrifice and then verse 2 ending with the ability to test and approve what God's perfect will is, well I'll try again and again.

Because I can fail over and over again but if I get it right one time then all those other failures don't matter as much. And as the apparently wise Alton Brown said at my graduation ceremony, failure is good.

But I want to try to give my best and my all this summer as I nanny three kids and as I prepare for the next year, August to May, that I know will change me forever interning with Wesley and no matter how hard I fail if I make it my mantra to try hard then all it takes is one time of God's grace for the other failures to pass into oblivion.