what i'll remember

Life flies by.  Memories come and go with every passing week.  But later, when you've long forgotten the little things that happened, it's fun to go back and have a good laugh.  This week, those little things include...

Eating six chocolate chip cookies in one day.  Two at a time like a pro.

Not practicing the piano accompaniment enough before vocal rehearsal..."oh, sorry guys, I'm stillworkingonitshdfdjs....."

Finding out about a cupcake atm.  A CUPCAKE ATM.

Taking the long way home so I could see a glorious view of the entire mountain range + sunset + reflected in a lake.  Breathtaking doesn't cover it.

Jumping in on a zumba class...aaaand looking like a regular timone (as in timone and pumba).  Complete with the exceptionally brilliant escape at the end.

Watching the Lorax and getting the Lorax Special at IHOP afterwards.  I'm telling you, there's no way to go wrong with green eggs, ham, and sprinkles pancakes.

Reading this post...and relating all too well.  Wal-mart has proven itself to be Weirdsville.

You know the bubbles they use at the carwash?  The triple-colored sudsy ones?  Tell me you haven't sat there inhaling the wonderful smell wishing you could take a bucket home and bathe in it.

Finally finding the perfect nude lipstick.  I'm addicted.  (Myth by MAC.)

for the record: not my lips

And last but by no means least, seeing two prayers answered in one day.  Knowing He's near is the best thing ever.

on church

There's an element to church that just makes me want to leave.  Forever.

It's a selfish element.  One that revolves around 'me' and 'favor' and 'my destiny'.

What ever happened to God?

What happened to the Great I AM who spoke to Moses on the mountain top, who showed up in the quiet wind instead of the dramatic earthquake, who created the very earth beneath our feet and the air swirling life within our lungs?

What happened to HIM?

All He wants is you.  All He wants is the heart and affections of the beautiful people He created to love.

Maybe I'm just upset because I've fought Him for so long.  I know He wants my heart, yet I run the other way in hopes of avoiding something hard.

For giving your heart to another isn't easy.  It takes time, it takes humility, it takes a sacrificial vulnerability to let the other see into the deepest part of your being.

But isn't that what He did for me?  I fail to see what is more humble and sacrificial than laying down one perfect life for trillions of tragically imperfect ones.

And then came the first church.  A handful of people touched by a love not limited to human interaction.  A love that love consumed them, compelled them to lay down their lives so that a lost world could be saved and healed.

And now?  Church seems to be a fashion show dedicated to either donuts or the destiny of the people who walk down the aisles.

What a trade.

Don't get me wrong.  Church is good.  And no, of course I wouldn't leave the church.  It was ordained by God and there is absolutely no replacement for it.

But let's...let's get back to Him.

I'll start with me.  Because I can only change myself.

"For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him." (John 3:17 AMP)

walk in the park

I went to the park this morning with the intention of running a couple laps.  But once I got there, that lovely blue sky and wide open field couldn't stop calling my name...so I involuntarily began running back and forth across the soccer field, first forward, then backward, then lunges all the way across.  Ouch.

After the planks, push-ups and crunches (read: derriere mid-air), I went over to say hi to a lady sitting in the shade with her golden retriever.

"May I pet your dog?"

"Oh sure!  She'd love it.  This is Sadie."

"Awww hi, Sadie!" (woof woof wag wag)

"We were watching you do your workout.  What a great way to do it!"

.....perfect.  Now my entire neighborhood knows I can't do more than five good push-ups and that I sing along to my iPod when I work out.  Well I bet they do too, they just aren't brave enough to do it in public.  So there.

forget the gym, i'll be kayaking

As you may remember from this post, I need to get my butt in shape I've been wanting to work out more.  I briefly considered buying p90x but decided my self-motivation levels aren't high enough for that.  So for the last month, I've been eyeing that monstrosity called 24 Hour Fitness that's sits so innocently down the street from mi casa.  And now that my coworker got a membership there, I have a sweat partner and no excuses.

However.  I've been dragging my feet to sign up because
a. when I got a one-day pass to work out, no one seemed interested in showing me around so I just left
b. my concussion recovery has made my energy level be 0.001 by the end of work every day
and c. the price went up by $10 per month while I wasn't looking.

At this point, kayaking is sounding better and better.

I'm currently sitting with a head full of wet, chinese-food-smelling hair, waiting for the gorgeous dark locks promised by the box.  And since I didn't think you'd want to hear about my new danskos, maybelline eyeshadow and phone case (booooring), I thought I'd just show you a picture of all of them.

Danskos!  Finally some new work shoes.

It's supposed to be plum.  Look brown to you too?

I'm actually a super hero.

That cool cape is the result of the won-ton sauce in my hair (see first sentence).  And my phone really is black.  It's just white thanks to the $3.50 ebay phone case that came from hong kong yesterday in uber-ghetto packaging.  Whatever works, I guess.