Something Beautiful

I put in my two weeks notice at work today. I don't really want to get into the whole story on here, but the short version is that I don't want to work there anymore. I still love what I do. I just don't like the environment. Every day I was getting more and more frustrated, and I am just ready for the next two weeks to be over so I can be done. I have already applied for two other jobs and have good prospects, so I am not concerned about it. It was just time. So what is my cure-all for a bad day? Why cupcakes, of course! I have some in the oven right now, and will be posting later over here about them. I'm also thinking some Jesus time, some yoga, a hot bath, a drink at the pub, and a good night's sleep will put me in fine shape. It had started snowed last night when I went to bed, so I was expecting nasty cold and snow on the ground this morning when I got up. I was pleasantly surprised by sunshine and temperatures in the 40's. It has become more grey outside

A quiet Sunday afternoon. I have so many thoughts floating around in my head. Sunday is such a great day for thinking because I have nothing else to occupy my mind. I am often amazed at how much other things get in the way of me thinking. I am so glad that God commands us to take a day to rest. The Truth Project lesson this morning talked about sociology, the order that God has placed in the universe, the way He specifically ordered things for specific reason and purpose. We discussed this particularly in relation to families. I am incredibly blessed to have a family that follows God's plan and design. My dad is the head of the house. He is in all aspects the leader. He is the provider and protector. When the father in a family is what he should be, that allows the rest of the family to be as they should be. I was incredibly convicted that I do not appreciate my family the way I should. There are so many people who do not have a family that follows God's model. Our country and

I have had a very long day. I was at work until 11 last night, and then I was at work all day today. Last night when I got home from work, I smelled gas when I walked into my house. As it was so late, I decided to ignore it and go to bed. I still smelled it when I got up this morning, so I called the handyman and went to work. I worked all day, and when I got home tonight I still smelled it. The handyman told me to get out of the house and call the fire department. The firemen were very nice and checked the house out. They discovered that the smell was coming from gasoline that had leaked out of the lawnmower in the garage. As the handyman said, better safe than sorry. So what's the cure for a long day. Well, here's my cure.Opening the windows to air the house out. Replacing the bad odors with tasty smells. Comfort food and white wine. A few episodes of my favorite show . And of course, cupcakes . I'm going to make some more tonight. I'm looking forward to Sunday. I

I have been thinking a lot lately. . .it's just kind of something I do, ya know. Plus, I've done a lot of driving lately. I was having trouble with the power steering in my car last week, so I took it to the best Mini repairman I know which means I went to see the parents. My pops was able to fix it in no time at all, so I was glad to have the excuse to see them. Anyway, so the drive time gave me lots of time to think. Thinking and driving seem to go hand-in-hand for me. I love the time to sing along to my music (which is turned up too loud, I'm sure), pray and talk out loud, process, and just think about ideas. I have been thinking a lot about this idea: the beach house . I have been dreaming about the possibilities and thinking about how I can serve and honor God with all of the dreams and skills and abilities He has given me. I'll tell you more about this dream some other time, but what I really love about it is the simple-ness of the life that it represents to me. T

My apologies for not blogging recently. My last week was consumed by lasagna. In case you were wondering. . .I greatly dislike lasagna. I didn't like it before this, and after making 60 pans of it, I dislike it even more. But now lasagna week is over and (not so) distant history. Life seems to go more quickly than I would like most of the time, and then I realize that it has been such a long time since I have blogged. I have been doing a lot of sleeping lately. Time change, my friends, is brutal. The sun is at the perfect spot right now that when it rises it is directly in my eyes. . .yes, I do have my blinds closed. I try to ignore it and roll over and go back to sleep (sometimes too successfully). I haven't actually overslept anything, just haven't gotten up to do other things (like go running or do yoga). At least the sun is returning more and more frequently. The cold, dreary months of winter are (fingers crossed) behind us now. Only a few more days until the official b

You know how sometimes those feelings of being inadequate just crop up out of nowhere? That just happened to me. I was perfectly contented, minding my own business and then out of nowhere the world just slapped me in the face and said, See you aren't living up to your potential. Shame on you. Where is this coming from? I received a newsletter from the department head of the economics department I graduated from in my e-mail today. In this newsletter there was a list of other graduates (many of whom I know) and what they are currently doing. Grad school, law school, fellowships, scholarships, working at the Fed, etc. The voice in the back of my head said, That should be you. As much as I don't want to believe that voice, I find myself questioning my choices. Am I wasting my potential? Should I be pursuing some other path? What if I did make the wrong choices regarding grad school? I didn't want to e-mail the department head back because what would I say. I make pies and serv

Sometimes my memory is short. I struggle to remember the things I know in my heart to be true. I am glad I have God to remind me of them in the gentle, yet strong way that only He can. I am blessed to call Him the fairest among ten thousand and the Love of my life. Not for anything in the world would I trade my time with Him. He is to me the very breath in my lungs. Literally. . .the breath in my lungs. There are moments when I run that I do not know how the next step will happen. I do not know where the strength comes from to take one more breath and one more step. You see, my friends, I am not a great runner. I am not even a good runner. But I have never run with the illusion that I am good. I have never had the desire to be a good runner. I have only ever desired one thing in my running. . .that I would love Him as He has loved me. He gave Himself for me. Died to pay my debt. Every time I place one foot in front of the other, I die a little more to myself out of love for Him. He is