Tonight I went dress shopping with a friend and had a blast! There's something liberating about trying on things that aren't your usual style. I think the key is being able to laugh at yourself.
A few laughs from the evening:
A dress that was so short that it would have made a better shirt.
A dress that was so tight on the backside that I thought I was going to get stuck!
A flap on my friend's dress that was supposed to be decorative, but just looked like the stitching on the dress came out.
A dress we called "The Carpet Dress" because the fabric looked just like carpet.
I wish I would have brought my camera so you could laugh as well. I guess you'll just have to go to a nearby store and have your own dress adventure! Remember, try on something that's not your usual style! It's always good for a laugh!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Winter is GONE!
Do you know how I know? Because we had our first campfire of the season! It was just as relaxing as I remembered it to be.
This year I hope to have more campfires and more meals cooked on the grill. Last summer went by so fast, and I want to make the most of each warm day this time around. I can't wait to live outside more.
Hope you're enjoying the change of seasons!
This year I hope to have more campfires and more meals cooked on the grill. Last summer went by so fast, and I want to make the most of each warm day this time around. I can't wait to live outside more.
Hope you're enjoying the change of seasons!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
A Community of Believers
I just got home from spending the evening with our house group from church. There's about 20 of us that get together every week at a church member's house to snack, chat, and learn about the Bible together. Tonight we talked about Acts Chapter 2, specifically Peter's perspective on Jesus and the Holy Spirit and also about what it looks like to be in a community of believers.
The topic of community is something that always tends to strike a chord in my heart. I've enjoyed my stints of living in close community with others both at college and while I traveled with Youth Encounter. Sometimes, though, it's hard to find that in the present. I am blessed with many friends, but we all live all over the place. My parents always give me a hard time because whenever they ask how far away from me a particular person or place is, I always say "20 minutes."
Creating community isn't always easy, but I am finding success. Small group tonight was one example of that. I'm getting to know a smaller group of people well, and allow my life to intersect with theirs.
Listen to what Acts 2:44-47 says about the community of believer's shortly after Jesus' death:
44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (from Biblegateway.com, NIV 2011)
When you read this passage, what areas stand out to you as things you are doing well right now? Which pieces do you crave more of? What can you do to move forward and recreate this kind of community today?
The topic of community is something that always tends to strike a chord in my heart. I've enjoyed my stints of living in close community with others both at college and while I traveled with Youth Encounter. Sometimes, though, it's hard to find that in the present. I am blessed with many friends, but we all live all over the place. My parents always give me a hard time because whenever they ask how far away from me a particular person or place is, I always say "20 minutes."
Creating community isn't always easy, but I am finding success. Small group tonight was one example of that. I'm getting to know a smaller group of people well, and allow my life to intersect with theirs.
Listen to what Acts 2:44-47 says about the community of believer's shortly after Jesus' death:
44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (from Biblegateway.com, NIV 2011)
When you read this passage, what areas stand out to you as things you are doing well right now? Which pieces do you crave more of? What can you do to move forward and recreate this kind of community today?
Monday, April 4, 2011
The Drive-By Gratitude List
The other day my brain was wandering and it came to rest on things I was thankful for. I decided to post a blank piece of paper on the fridge and put some markers close by. Each time I thought of something I was thankful for, I added it to the list.
Sometimes I wrote sentences, sometimes words, and sometimes I even drew pictures!
I had so much fun doing this, and I encourage you to give it a try. It's a fun way to turn our thoughts to the blessings we've been given.
Sometimes I wrote sentences, sometimes words, and sometimes I even drew pictures!
I had so much fun doing this, and I encourage you to give it a try. It's a fun way to turn our thoughts to the blessings we've been given.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Oh, Amber
As the weekend approaches, I get almost giddy with thoughts of all I might accomplish. So many things that have been piling up could get done. Oh, how good that would feel!
Sure, weekends are for relaxing, but just think of all the THINGS I could get DONE! Wow! If I keep my eyes focused on the next item, and if I work work work, there's a chance I could cross off all of these 26 items by Sunday night.
Is the crazy alarm going off in your head? It should be.
Albert Einstein defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." According to this definition, I am insane.
To say that history repeats itself would be an understatement. I find my history repeating itself all the time. Just this January, I wrote this blog on the same theme that I write to you about today.
As weekends approach, I tend to load up any free scraps of paper with to-do lists. Then, I try desperately to cross off each task on the list over the course of the weekend. Inevitably, I can't because I need more time than is in a weekend to finish these ambitious lists. I come to the weekend's close with a few stragglers still hanging on the to-do list, which I then transfer to a new to-do list for the following week. I usually feel badly about myself that I wasn't able to get everything done.
What would it look like to have a not-do list? I laugh out loud as I type that! That would be so fun, wouldn't it? I'd love to make a list of everything I'm not going to do this weekend. Oooh, that would be liberating! I'm not going to stress out. I'm not going to clean. I'm not going to do things I don't want to do. I'm not going to set an alarm. I could keep going with this!
Well, I think what I REALLY will end up doing this weekend is making a good try to get some of the things off of my to-do list. But I'll also put relaxing on the list. For starters, I'm going to go enjoy a lovely cup of tea...
Good luck with your weekend plans, whatever they are. And let's both put at least one item on our "Not-Do List." :)
Sure, weekends are for relaxing, but just think of all the THINGS I could get DONE! Wow! If I keep my eyes focused on the next item, and if I work work work, there's a chance I could cross off all of these 26 items by Sunday night.
Is the crazy alarm going off in your head? It should be.
Albert Einstein defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." According to this definition, I am insane.
To say that history repeats itself would be an understatement. I find my history repeating itself all the time. Just this January, I wrote this blog on the same theme that I write to you about today.
As weekends approach, I tend to load up any free scraps of paper with to-do lists. Then, I try desperately to cross off each task on the list over the course of the weekend. Inevitably, I can't because I need more time than is in a weekend to finish these ambitious lists. I come to the weekend's close with a few stragglers still hanging on the to-do list, which I then transfer to a new to-do list for the following week. I usually feel badly about myself that I wasn't able to get everything done.
What would it look like to have a not-do list? I laugh out loud as I type that! That would be so fun, wouldn't it? I'd love to make a list of everything I'm not going to do this weekend. Oooh, that would be liberating! I'm not going to stress out. I'm not going to clean. I'm not going to do things I don't want to do. I'm not going to set an alarm. I could keep going with this!
Well, I think what I REALLY will end up doing this weekend is making a good try to get some of the things off of my to-do list. But I'll also put relaxing on the list. For starters, I'm going to go enjoy a lovely cup of tea...
Good luck with your weekend plans, whatever they are. And let's both put at least one item on our "Not-Do List." :)
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