Day 51 & 52

Well here we are nearing the end of February and so far I have done a terrible job of keeping up with this. My life has been a whirlwind lately! You can raid my main blog for more details. I have not given up though! I refuse! I will keep trying until I get the hang of this... Are you attempting this challenge? It would give me great encouragement to hear of anyone else struggling - or triumphing! 

A GIFT AT BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER:

I had coffee with R as I usually do on Wednesday mornings. She bought me a Soy Chai & Banana Walnut Loaf, which really blessed me since I have virtually no money until payday tomorrow!

During lunch I had a meeting for work & sipped on the chai throughout it. It fueled my day until I got home. A gift that kept on giving! I also had part of a sandwich at home from the day before... not very good though. The meeting itself was very informative & fun ~ I love my coworkers!

For dinner, M & I made cheese quesadillas, green beans & sweet tea. Kind of an odd mixture... but it was good and we made it all on the stove top while dancing around to oldies playing in the TV. I love dancing in the kitchen :)

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THREE GIFTS WHITE:

Zion, the A's dog that lives here. I often tell people of my general dislike for him, and then of my justified loyalty to Checkers the cat. He's such a pushover, and also kind of ugly (to me). Which maybe I don't appreciate since I'm used to living with my grandparent's dogs who are feisty Pomeranians who look like foxes ~ bursting with personality; always a mischievous look in there eyes. Zion will literally let you sit on top of him, full weight - he's that submissive. HOWEVER, today when I came home he was absolutely thrilled to see me. The A's are out of town and so he jumped around excitedly, ran in circles, growled playfully at me, wanting me to throw his ball. It was very cute... and ok fine, he even looked cute doing it. So today, I'm happy to have Zion in my life & glad that I can make him happy in return :)

I'm thankful for a blank, white page. New. Ready for a fresh start. Free to let me say,"Ok, let's try this again."

I have many favorite colors. Bright red orange, sunflower yellow, minty aqua, ect. But I love to wear white. I mean it, if I could get away with wearing white everyday, I would totally do it. And I guess there's nothing really holding me back, except that I look better in other colors too & don't want to look like an angel or bride all the time. But yes, any day wearing white is gonna be a good day! Especially white sundresses :)

Day 12 & 13

SOMETHING ABOVE, BELOW, BESIDE:

The grand, wide, vast & endless Texas sky.

The tiny spring green leaf blossoming on my fig tree sapling. It both encourages & reminds me to keep watering!

A warm, soft & chubby, purring kitty named Checkers.

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THREE THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF YOU ARE GRATEFUL FOR:

Compassion

An unwillingness to give up my dreams

I'm grateful God gave me long, dark hair :) I like it.

Day 10 & 11

A GIFT SOUR, SWEET, JUST RIGHT:
*ode to my place of work

The lemon slices that came with my sushi today. OH SNAP were they sour!

The Ruby Red Grapefruit samples in the produce department. So deliciously & delicately sweet.

Relaxing at home with Yorkshire Gold tea ~ the best kind of tea. Just what I needed to unwind after work.

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THREE YELLOW GIFTS OF FRESH MERCY:

The sunrise on my way to work in the early morning... it really makes the drive, waking up early & the traffic, so much easier.

The bright headlights of the truck that nearly hit me this morning. That was mercy. I saw them at the very last minute and was able to swerve out of the way just in time. Heart pounding, I thanked & thanked God for saving me. For protecting me. I had pure adrenaline pumping through for the next few minutes. After I'd composed myself, I called M. He said he'd been praying for me just a few minutes prior to my call, that God would protect me on my drive to work that morning. Amazing.

D's blonde hair all curled and smelling good as she left for her date with her husband tonight. She looked so excited :)

Day 8 & 9

{{DAY 8 IS COMING... I AM A BIT CONFUSED BY THE THREE TOPICS...}}

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A GIFT HELD, PASSED BY, SAT WITH:

I'm going to start sounding like a lovesick teen with how often M is going to be on here! I don't care. His name even means Gift of God and that's exactly what he is to me: a treasured gift. I will always be thankful for him, everyday. I got to hold him for a bit tonight. Comb my fingers through his hair, breathe in that rugged "boyfriend" smell, enjoy his warmth. I can't help myself!

Often times when I come into work, I get hollered at & said good morning to by 1-2 people from different departments I pass by in the store. This morning, I smiled to myself at the realization of this daily occurrence & that it is something special many people don't receive in their place of work. I get welcomed in, acknowledged & hugged on... everyday. AT WORK. What a blessing!

I sat with a newspaper on my lunch break today. I turned off the TV and picked up a newspaper. And although the news wasn't that great (flu cases in the US at a record high, mental illness funding and it's relation to the CT shooting), it was nice just to sit and read and have a little peace. Being on the internet so often makes me miss things like the newspaper.

Day 7

THREE GRACES FROM PEOPLE YOU LOVE:

I love M. He graces me with the pleasure of his friendship, commitment, and joy for everyday life all the time. He is an answer in so many forms and I pray to take not one for granted. I love his joy in food, coffee, books, bluish green waters & in making little sings up for whatever we're doing :) I love M!

I am grateful for LP's loyalty as a friend. Even when we go for months of not being able to hangout, or I get caught up in work & errands or just plain laziness, LP always has grace on me. She is always happy to see me, never holds any past errors against me & is always ready for an adventure. I love LP!

I also know that I would no longer have a pen pal, were it not for the patience & grace of AW. She allows me to take my time, write out my crazy long stories & bare my heart. Though we have met but once, she is one of my best friends :) I love AW!

Day 5 & 6

SOMETHING YOU'RE READING, MAKING, SEEING:

With by Skye Jethani. I'm reading it with my bible study group and it has opened up so many questions & thoughts for me. How to not serve under, over, from or for God - but with Him. M is reading it too.

A promise to be a better friend, daughter & sister this year. I have all these intentions & ideas that never seem to materialize as often as they should. 2013 will be different!

I'm seeing how much every little bit & part counts. It's not the quantity, but the effort in trying at all. God has been showing how every prayer, every time I open my bible, every time I trust Him over worry - none of it is for nothing. When I first moved here I quit all that. I turned my back on Him and took up a life of even deeper selfishness. But after a little over a year, I cried out to Him & was delivered from everything I had been in. He saved me. And it didn't matter that I hadn't prayed or trusted or read a thing the last year. All that mattered was that I looked to Him RIGHT THEN. Right now. I'm so thankful for His presence in my life and His showing me these glorious & wonderful things that I have never known before.

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ONE THING IN YOUR BAG, YOUR FRIDGE, YOUR HEART:

The light teal notebook which I am using to for the same purpose as this blog. I love new notebooks, teal is my favorite color & on it reads:
She's a dreamer, a doer,
a thinker. She sees
possibility everywhere.

The fresh ball of mozzarella sitting in the cheese drawer. I'm thankful I can afford little luxuries as this to begin with, but also for mozzarella itself. It is because of mozzarella that I would never succeed as a vegan.

I'm grateful for the joy in it. The renewed sense of love for other people & the desire to pursue it.

Day 3 & 4

THREE GRACES YOU OVERHEARD:

NPR said the children of the shooting from Sandy Hook Elementary were returning to school on the 3rd. I'm thankful they will be returning to some form of normalcy & that plenty of counselors will be on hand.

NPR also had a news bit on privacy policies of the internet including Facebook, Email, Twitter, etc. Apparently most of them are lies and passwords are easily figured out if need be. I'm thankful to not be afraid and to have the security of Father's protection; but grateful for this information nonetheless. Makes you rethink what your putting out there...

I overheard this morning that snow was expected today. And for 5 minutes, it DID snow!! I got to see & touch & revel in it!!

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A GIFT OLD, NEW, BLUE: 

* this is fitting since I attended a wedding tonight

I'm grateful for old prayers that I remembered praying as the couple said their vows. In the midst of it, as I witnessed the beauty in the candlelight among the violin playing, Papa whispered to me, "This is everything you prayed for." And I was glad :)

This new adventure for J & E!! How exciting and new and precious!!

The gorgeous hand painted wooden crosses that J's grandmother made as favors for the wedding. Soon to be hanging in my room <3