Three months later...

Oh hello there, blog.  Long time, no see (I know, my fault).  I just looked back at my last post and realized it's been over three months since I posted.  How in the world.  I would say that life got busy and so that's why I abandoned the blog, but life is always busy...  Guess I just got tired of trying to keep up with blogworld (I also quit reading blogs for a few months, gasp).  Anyway, I'm back (for now, anyway); here's the saved draft of the post that would've been published June 27th, had I finished it:

531. Lina's here to visit!
532. An impromptu mini-roadtrip to Killeen, to look for a car for Paul.  Though the car didn't end up working out, it was still lots of fun driving and hanging out with Sarah and Paul!
533. Celebrating Everly's 19th birthday!
534. Roadtrip planning with Julie and Sarah!
535. Sunday morning breakfast with friends.
******************************************************
Quick recap since then (not necessarily in chronological order):

• Lina's visit ended up lasting a month, which was wonderful.  She even celebrated her 16th birthday here, with a big party at Sarah's house--including a pinata, lots of cake, and a slip-n-slide. 



Parker, Pearson, Paul, Lina, Peyton, and Phoebe
at Lina's birthday party


• Paul bought a car!  Life is definitely easier when our schedules don't have to be perfectly coordinated based on who needs a vehicle when.  (Though it's a little ironic that I'm writing this today, since a friend will be borrowing my van this weekend, thus causing us to revive our car-sharing skills.  But no biggie; we're pros!)
• Julie, Sarah, Lina and I went on a roadtrip to FL, where we:
• visited with Kevin and Danielle (and Stevie!)
• spent an afternoon at Ginnie Springs
• watched the last shuttle launch from the beach
• got horribly stuck in traffic...for hours...before we finally made it to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch/dinner



Kevin and Danielle

• spent several hours in historic Saint Augustine
• I tagged along on a roadtrip with some friends to help another dear friend move to her new home in Colorado Springs.
• I quit drinking coffee for a month.  For no reason.
• I quit eating sugar for a week.  Because I eat too much of it.
• I went with some friends to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2...and now, after nearly a decade of refusing to read/watch/be in the least bit interested in HP, I am now hooked.  Just finished reading HP5 yesterday, and I'm caught up on the movies through #4 (and, of course, the last one).

• 

  Rachael, Erica, Jessica, and me
  getting ready to head to CO
  

  Paul went to Haiti for nearly a month to work with Real Hope for Haiti.
• I got a kitten...for a month...until it was absolutely and abundantly clear that Dieuchka (my cat from Chicago) was not going to permit that this be a two-cat household.  So Kitten got a new home.
• The Aggies are back in town...which means, so long, summer traffic.
• I bought a plane ticket to Haiti!!!  After a year-and-a-half of waiting, I will finally be heading back to Haiti on October 25th!  Soooooo excited!

So those are the events/happenings of the past several months that come to mind at the moment; to get back on track with Multitude Monday (even though, yes, today is Thursday), here's my gratitude list for the past week-and-a-half:

536. Donavon and Sabrina's wedding. So much could be said about this; suffice it to say, it was a beautiful wedding, all the more so because of the way the Lord brought them together and demonstrated His faithfulness through their relationship to each other, to their families, and with their friends.  So incredible.

bridesmaids! at the rehearsal.
Birdie, me, and Everly

537. Spending the day of the wedding at Eyrie Park.  I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by how calm a day it was, despite the many women there (including bride and bridesmaids) getting ready for the evening wedding.  

538. Visiting with friends at the wedding, including one who came all the way from Virginia.

539. Donovon's grin (the entire evening, really, but especially as he watched Sabrina walk down the aisle).

540. The clear, star-filled sky the night of the wedding.

541. RAIN!!! the night after the wedding...the most rain we've seen here in drought-stricken Texas in quite awhile.

542. Getting sick right before my day off this week (would've preferred not to get sick at all, but since I did, at least I had lots of time to try and sleep it off).

543. My brother, who provided dinner and a movie for me the night I got sick.

this just makes me laugh
Paul and Birdie, at the rehearsal

544. Talking and laughing with Everly and Birdie the night after the wedding, even though we were all still quite tired from the previous evening's festivities.

545. Samuel, serving leftover wedding food to me, Everly, and Birdie on the couch.  Oh how fun he is...and how quickly he's growing up...

546. This post from a friend, reminding me of so many truths about the Lord and of His holiness.  

547. Orange blossom tea with honey

548. God's protection and provision for Alloune and Lourdes Milla in Haiti.  So thankful for Heartline Ministries.

549. Getting to meet and spend an evening with a sweet family who is praying about moving to Haiti.  We spent several wonderful hours getting to know each other and talking about Haiti.  I'm so excited to see what the Lord has in store for them!

550. 25 days til Haiti!!!

Jubilee, with Vincent and Violet
at the rehearsal

with the bride-to-be at the rehearsal dinner
me, Sabrina, and Everly

almost married!
Sabrina and Donovon

I think, perhaps, I will put wedding pics in a later post.  Stay tuned :)

in every season

All of my life

In every season

You are still God

I have a reason to sing

I have a reason to worship*

I know, I skipped Multitude Monday last week...  It was a combination of being really busy + not being terribly motivated to blog.  Don't get me wrong--I have so much for which I am grateful (see list below!) and I really truly am blessed; however, these last few weeks especially have been kind of rough as the Lord has been kind of "making" me take a step back and look at my life--where I am right now, where I might want to go, in whom/what I'm setting my hope--and start to evaluate what's good...what's not so good...and where it may be about time for a change.  For example, the fellowship and accountability I have with my church family is oh-so-good; taking my eyes off the Lord and setting my hope on earthly things (however "good" they may be)= bad.  As far as the change that may be coming, well, hopefully that will be settled--one way or another--in the next few days.  So, check back next week, and maybe I'll have more to say on that then!

So anyway, these past few weeks haven't been my favorite overall, but God is faithful, and I do have lots to be thankful for!

Royers Round Top Cafe

501. Spending an evening in Round Top with Julie and Sarah, eating at a gourmet diner and then exploring a world-renowned music institute (which has some very funny statues...).

502. Finally getting to go ice skating again with Sarah.

503. True Grit movie night with friends!

504. A nice drive to Houston--just me, my music, a couple of sermons, and a quad grande americano.  I really enjoyed this, despite...

505. ...getting sent to the wrong side of Houston for my class...which meant...I got to come home way early...and I still got paid for it :)

movie night!

506. One year ago I visited my amazing church for the first time...and then never left :)  Love this amazing body of believers; so thankful for the way God has used them this past year to teach and encourage and challenge me in so many ways.  So very blessed to be part of a church that truly preserves and proclaims the Gospel!

507. And while I'm on the subject of my amazing church family...  I'm just ever-so-grateful for Sarah and Julie and our somewhat unofficial fight club; so thankful to be able to live life--with all of its laughter and tears and confusion and plain 'ol craziness--with such sweet friends who really demonstrate what it means to live out the gospel.

508. Dinner with several super-special families (including lots of cute babies!) after church.

"Hi Beth, I came by to say hi and to drop
off keys to Paul and none of your dry
erase markers work very well.
Love, Joe
P.S. Paul can't read well."

509. Movie night at Sarah's.

510. Lifegivers

511. Our first sign language class at the Bacaks :)

512. Running with Julie and Fernando.

513. This.  Watch it.  These people are fantastic.

514. Spoons with Sarah and Meg!

515. Re-watching a few episodes of LOST with the brother.

516. Sir Green Shirt's brilliant suggestion that Paul and I use google calendar to coordinate our [ridiculously busy] lives.  I cannot BELIEVE we didn't think of this sooner.  

517. That Brian found the earring (one of my favorites) that I lost at work several weeks ago; definitely didn't expect to see that again!

my new apron from Anna!

518. That my hope...my joy...my security...is not based on any person or situation/circumstance in this life but is in the Lord; "God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever". (Psalm 73)

519. Anna's back from Uganda!!!  And she brought me a super-awesome apron!  :)

520. My "mirror message" from Joe.

521. Bible study at Esperanza on Sunday.

522. Getting to babysit two adorable little boys--and cuddling for hours with the two-month-old :)

523. Spending all of Sunday with Sarah and getting to join her family for their Father's Day lunch.

524. Dr. Pepper icees.

Bible study at Esperanza
(photo courtesy of Pearson)

525. A lovely little walk home from work (after the sun was down, so it was actually somewhat cool--or at least, not blazing hot).

526. The reminder that when I'm faced with a decision, I don't have to figure it out alone.  So thankful for the incredible blessing of having God's Word to guide me, as well as godly friends and mentors to advise and pray for me.  

527. Going to see Green Lantern with friends.

528. Freshly ground coffee.

529. Rachael's "movie interpretations".  Sooo funny.

530. Getting my child sponsorship packet in the mail for Ti Nina!

I will bring praise

I will bring praise

No weapon forged against me will remain

I will rejoice

I will declare

God is my victory and He is here.

* Desert Song -- Hillsong

So much for Monday...

 I almost managed to get this posted on Monday...but then I decided to make one itty bitty minor change to the blog...which failed...and which then necessitated a revamp of the entire layout/design...which took forever...and then it was time to go to work...and I still wasn't done writing my list...and then I got home from work and got distracted by Haiti videos on youtube (see #497)...and then the internet quit working...which I decided was a sign from God via Suddenlink that I needed to go to bed...so I did...and so Multitude Monday is once again not happening on Monday.  Oh well; c'est la vie (se lavi).

:)

early morning calisthenics with Rachael :)

481. Seeing a shooting star--without a doubt, one of the highlights of my week.

482. A mini-roadtrip (as in, an hour or so away) to go to the drive-in with dear friends.  So fun, even though I slept through most of the second movie :)

483. Hilarious moments with friends...such as when we killed a ginormous cockroach...with hairspray and wasp spray...

484. Lunch and pedicures to celebrate my amazing friend Sarah's birthday.

485. Getting to work with Rachael (and her twaaaang; oh, how I love it) every day last week.

486. Free furniture from a friend, and help from wonderful friends with trucks to transport this furniture (thanks Rachael and Jeremy!)

me and Little Bit

 487. Babysitting "Little Bit"; I really enjoy this kid!

488. Two dinner-and-a-movie nights last week!  We watched this and this.

489. So thankful for the work Heartline is doing in Haiti.

490. Running into Donovan and Sabrina at Kroger.

491. Getting to see Aja and meet her youngest sister when they came to town for a few days.

492. Hanging out with the Bacaks at the pool.

493. Dinner with Sara and Deondre.

494. Tank the Chihuahua...even though normally I'm not really a dog person.

495. Jube's birthday (8?!?! When did this happen???)

496. Praying friends, and a note of encouragement.

497. Breaking out my Haiti music again and spending some time reading my Kreyol Bible...though this also sends me further into Haiti-withdrawal...Oh ayiti, mwen vreman sonje w.

Donovan and Sabrina

498. Starting to plan a roadtrip for next month; super excited!

499. Sweet Eugene's has Big Train Chai now (my favorite!); it's about time somewhere in town got it!

500. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  (Ephesians 2:4-10)

Multitude Monday...on Thursday

Once upon a time, my perfectionist/control freak self would have cringed at doing my "Monday post" on any other day of the week (I mean, helloooo...clearly to publish my gratitude list on any other day would mess up the entire order of the universe, right?); we can all breathe a deep sigh of relief that I've relaxed a bit -- Multitude Monday can happen on Thursday; my house doesn't have to be perfectly clean/organized in order to invite people over, and it really is ok to go to the store without mascara (if I'm quick. and it's early in the morning. and I'm reasonably sure I won't run into anyone I know.... K, still working on that one :) ).

It's also okay to humble myself and admit that I need prayer.

That recently I've been easily overwhelmed and stressed.

That I'm really missing my mom.

That yet another sweet baby in Haiti has died, and I hate that this is all-too-common.

And...that I'm recognizing more and more how I idolize control...because when things don't go as I'd hoped...or when I don't even know exactly what it is that I'm hoping for...or when the measliest little comment or occurrence makes me want to go into "self-defense mode" and avoid everyone...that's when I realize that I've quit trusting in the Lord and am instead trying to do things in my own strength.

But I am weak.

Good thing His power is made perfect in weakness.  Real good thing.

So there's drama at work?
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear...Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:29, 32)

Potential life decisions to make?
You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me to glory.  Whom have I in heaven but You?  And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:24-26)

Hopes and dreams that are out of my hands to bring about?
Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.  Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:3-4)


Disappointments?  Sadness?
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in Him." (Lamentations 3:21-24)

As I type this, Hillsong is playing in the background:

You are stronger
You are stronger
Sin is broken
You have saved me
It is written
Christ is Risen
Jesus, You are Lord of all.


O Praise Him!

481. Praying friends.  You have no idea how much I appreciate y'all.
482. Visiting with Sabrina, Everly, and Birdie at Eyrie Park.
483. Dinner with Jessica; so grateful for her encouragement.
484. Rain outside my window.
485. Clopening with Aja; love this girl and am really going to miss her while she's in San Antonio this summer.
465. Movie night at The Yet-Unnamed Duplex with Paul, Julie, Aja, and Anna.
466. A super fun and yummy lunch with Aja and her mom.
467. Dinner and games at Jason and Meg's.
468. Babysitting some super cute kids with Jessica (favorite moments from the night: snuggling with an adorable two-month-old and learning all about how to make crystals with a crazy-smart seven-year-old).
469. My freshly-mowed backyard (thanks, Paul!).
470. The last meeting of our Biblical Theology class; I've definitely learned a lot over the past few months.
471. Dinner with friends after BT class for Kate's birthday; so fun!
472. This is really cool (at least, I'm fascinated by it...).
473. Sleeping in on Sunday...eating breakfast...starting a load of laundry...going back to bed for two hours...moving the laundry to the dryer...getting up and going out to my hammock...  It was a wonderfully [rare] lazy Sunday :)
474. Lunch with Sarah and Julie; good food, good friends, good times :)
475. Game night at Sarah's...and Rachael's memory trick so that we'll never EVER forget how to differentiate the branches of Islam :P
475. Discovering an unopened bag of Casi Cielo at my house...mmmm!
476. Wonderful Taryn, one of my amazing coworkers with whom I worked for 10 months.  We all already miss her now that she's graduated and moved on.
477. Getting to talk to this amazing woman after church on Sunday; excited to spend time with her family this summer talking about Haiti and practicing Creole.
478. "Roommate night" (this week and last) at Julie's.
479. Joe's moving back this weekend; yay!!!!!!!!!!
480. A surprise from the brother, discovered at 4:30am on my way to work :)

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot.  The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.  I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.  I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.  Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.  For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let Your holy one see corruption.  You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.  Psalm 16:5-11

Hallelujah! Thine the glory!

We praise Thee, O God, for Thy Spirit of light 

Who has shown us our Savior and scattered our night! 

Hallelujah!  Thine the glory, Hallelujah! Amen. 

Hallelujah!  Thine the glory; revive us again.

- Revive Us Again -

461. Dinner with a friend.
462. Another movie night with some of my favorite people :)
463. Friends who encourage me...challenge me...help me figure out my finances/budget/life.
464. A late-night talk with Rachael; sooo appreciate her listening and advice-giving skills :)
465. A phone visit with lovely Sabrina.
466. RAIN!!!!
467. Miss Fay from Esperanza and her generosity.
468. Such a good conversation Friday morning with Jessica and Julie.
469. Silliness with friends and laughing over ridiculous dance moves (and making up some of our own...)
470. A game night with the brother.
471. Possible new opportunities to pray about; so thankful to have dear friends that I can go to for biblical guidance for such things.
472. Making my very first-ever 100% homemade pie (as in, I made the pie crust, too); so fun!
473. A wonderfully relaxing yet productive day off on Sunday.
474. Rearranging my room (sort of) and fiiiiiiinally decorating/putting up pictures on the walls (this is normally something I do within days of moving in...).
475. Mornings that start out with my Bible, Sarah, and Julie.
476. Opening with Anna and listening to worship music on my iPod before we unlock the doors.
477. This post.
478. Getting to join another lifegroup for the summer (since mine isn't meeting).
479. It's summer!!!  I have great visions of a less hectic schedule for the next few months, which may or may not actually happen; regardless, I love how much quieter things are in town when the students are gone :)
480. Visiting with the Prices during the fellowship meal at church.

If then, you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Colossians 3:1-4

thankful

441. Getting to start sponsoring my Ti Nina!  Oh how I miss this sweet girl.

442. Celebrating Paul's 20th (!!!!) birthday at Eyrie Park.

20!!!

443. Going to dinner with friends after our Biblical Theology class at church.

444. Rediscovering this in my fridge.  I know this is silly, but it's also so good!

445. A very well-timed text from a friend, reminding me to delight in the Lord and in His steadfast love.

446. Breakfast with Sarah.

447. A fun afternoon drinking tea and eating pastries with so many lovely ladies.

448. Our Starbucks girls night, getting all fancy and going out for dessert at a nice restaurant, where...

449. ...we were surprised and so blessed by getting our entire bill paid by an incredibly kind and generous man!!!

450. My dear friend Julie and the way she speaks the truth in love (even when it's hard to hear); so thankful for her biblical perspective and the way she challenges and encourages me to get my focus off of myself and to be grateful.

451. My yard.  And my hammock.  And time spent in my hammock in my yard :)

452. Sunday with the Bacak boys; never a dull moment!

girls night!

453. A much-needed hug and a shoulder to cry on.

454. A picnic at the park with my lifegroup.

455. Laney Rae and her sweet chattering as she helped dry dishes after church.

456. Going to see this movie with friends; loooooved it! (Everly, I definitely want to go see it again with y'all!)

457. Last night's sermon; so very timely.  Probably should listen to it again...several times...

458. So encouraged to see so clearly (this week especially) how God uses the unique talents/characteristics/personalities/etc that He has given each of my friends for His glory and for the edification of both myself and others.  It's so neat to see this lived out.

459. Baking danishes/kolaches for the first time; so fun!

460. An unintentional (but wonderful) Sunday afternoon nap; I'm gettin' kinda good at this napping thing! (Though I probably should get better at the going-to-bed-early thing...)

Justus, Jax, and Treston

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.  (Psalm 103:1-5)

Not my favorite week, but...

...still ever-so-much to be thankful for:

lovely Sabrina at her fiesta-themed shower

421. Sabrina's bridal shower :)
422. Getting to babysit for 3 super cute kids.
423. Watching a friend's son master bike riding without training wheels and seeing his excitement.
424. Getting to host life group at my house yesterday.
425. Seeing my dear friend Meg several times this week :)
426. Serving in preschool at church; love these little ones with all their different personalities!
427. Kind words from a customer during one of my most stressful days at work ever.
428. Much-needed and appreciated hugs and encouragement from friends.
429. Turning on my windshield wipers (though only just briefly) for the first time in months; I've nearly forgotten what rain looks like.
430. Getting to spend an evening with friends helping a family from church move into their new home; it's so neat to be able to serve alongside fellow believers.
431. A movie night with friends.

Treston and his spider

432. A middle-of-the-night cleaning frenzy...or rather, the results of this frenzy.
433. A coffee date with lovely Sabrina.
434. An occurrence which I hope will one day prove to be a very funny story.
435. My new bunga pads that keep me from utterly destroying my ankles when ice skating; it is amazing the difference wearing these makes.
436. Skating with Sarah, and learning from her expertise :)
437. Playing at the park with the Bacak kids (and Treston declaring, "I yike spiders!  I da spider KING!" as he went around picking up granddaddy long-legs).

Whataburger with Sarah

438. An unexpected drop in temperature when I walked out of church; considering the Texas summer heat that is about to be upon us, I will take the coolness for as long as it will last!
439. Having Whataburger for the first time ever, courtesy of Sarah (and this was, I realized, my first hamburger in over 2 years!).
440. Miss Barbara and her stories; love this lady!  :)


Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.  And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  (Colossians 3:12-17)