Back on the Plains

Hello long lost and most likely nonexistent readers. After a long while, I have some picture updates of what has been going on with me since I got back to the loveliest village.

 Last years roomies on pref day! I literally had a 27 hour break between getting off the plane from Rome and reporting for pre-rush.

 My crazy pledge class on Bid Day!

 I went directly from rush to the lake. It was oh so wonderful. That place is peace for my soul!

 Harrison is playing high school football on their school's first ever team. He had quite a fan crew one week!

 The first football game was against Clemson in Atlanta. Four of us road tripped over there and tailgated in the parking lot. It was SO fun, despite the loss.

 There was even a place to sit inside in the a/c. Nice!

Love my roomies! And proud of my War Eagle Girl! 

 Being at an inside stadium was so weird.

 The next weekend, I headed to Starkville for the next football game!

I've heard that the Mississippi State campus is literally in the middle of a cow pasture. That turned out to be true!

While Away

For those of you who don't know, I'm fixing to hop on a plane and head to London, Spain, and Rome. I'll be gone for about 40 days! Eek! Lot's of people have said they wanted to keep up, so for them I started a trip blog called Fuera, which means away. Go follow it for the time I'm gone! I'll try to keep the pictures coming. 

A Thousand Words

Well, I did it. I broke down and bought a DSLR. I've wanted one for a long time and I know I'll get good use out of it when I study abroad. From my first picture ever (of this bowl) I was hooked! The rest are a sampling from some I took in downtown Wetumpka. 

A Little of Lately

Better late than never, here's a recap of my very relaxing Memorial Day weekend! The half of my summer in the states is FLYING by! I'll be Europe bound before I know it. 

 We went to Caroline's deb ball. My first experience with Montgomery society. Haha! 

 Then off to Lake Hollybrook with my mom's entire side of the family. Love getting to spend time with cousins!

 It was such a relaxing two days. Emilyn and I did plenty of floating. 

 The Hamn's dog Layla is by far the most spoiled member of their family. 

Then off to Lake Martin for the day on Memorial Day. It felt so good to be back in this boat on this lake. There's nothing like it. 

The Heidelberg Catechism Questions 1-2

Q. Christians, what is your only comfort in life and death?
A. That I with body and soul both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, Who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins and delivered me from all the power of the devil, and so preserves me, that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head. And therefore by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready henceforth to live unto Him.
Q. Christian, how many things are necessary for you to know that you, enjoying this comfort, may live and die happily?
A. Three: the first, how great my sins and miseries are; the second, how I may be delivered from all my sins and miseries; the third, how I shall express my gratitude to God for such deliverance.

Free Tunes

Just for fun, here is some of my current and all time favorite music that's free from that lovely indie place called Noise Trade!  

Like this one? (I know I've posted it before, but I'm obsessed.) Then download a Stephen Gordon sampler. He is so talented, and is actually currently a worship leader at some little church in Tennessee. Both of his regular albums are incredible, and he has a hymns one that's wonderful too. 

These guys are incredible. I posted about seeing them live here. They said that was their biggest show yet, and a year later they were playing on the Grammy's! Listen to them Live at Eddy's Attic for free!

I cannot even express my love for Red Mountain Music. They put hymns to new tunes, and everything is done with excellence. I own everything they've ever done except a little EP. They recently put two entire albums on Noise Trade! Get All Things New, their most recent one. Also available is Help My Unbelief. If I could only have one CD for the rest of my life this would be it. Seriously. It expresses perfectly how real hymns are. It's a beautiful collection of songs that are genuine about doubt and suffering, but that don't forget the Gospel. 

I can't believe this album is still free too. Josh Garrels is brilliant. For the past months I've been alternating between Stephen Gordon and him. The more I listen to it, the more I love it. His style is unique, and his lyrics are so deep. You catch something new every time. 

Lewis Sums it Up

Homemade Starbucks

Clearly studying for finals is not holding my interest, so I decided to document one of the oldest survival techniques of college students - caffeine intake. Here's an easy recipe for a homemade frappucino! I found one on Pinterest, and then tweaked it til I got it the way I like it. It is cheaper and healthier than the real deal, and just as yummy!! (And pardon my really old point-and-shoot that takes fuzzy pictures.)

For starters, don't waste the extra coffee in the bottom of the pot. Pour it in ice cube trays! To start making the frappucino put frozen coffee cubes and milk in a cup. Then add a pinch of salt. (I promise this is important) and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla. 

Now is the chance to add whatever you want. My current favorite is chocolate syrup and heath bits. If you don't add anything like this, you'll want to throw in a little sugar. 

My weapon of choice is a Magic Bullet. I got it for Christmas and it is perfect for smoothies, milkshakes, and the like. But a regular blender will work too. Blend it until it's the consistency that you like. 

I leave mine a little icy and eat it with a spoon. Delish!

Formal at the Zoo

This year we had our Spring Formal at the Atlanta Zoo! It was so much fun! 

I was a little late getting ready. Probably due to my inability to fix my own hair or do my own eye makeup. But David was a good sport. Here's a picture of where I should've been. 

BIG Event picture. With our honorary Project Coordinator. 

My awesome hair. Thanks Rosie!

Sweet friends!

This was probably the most politically incorrect thing we did all night. Not sure what we were thinking! And apparently we weren't at the time either by the looks on everyone's face.

Thankful for this boy!

Roomies! (minus Shaye and Rachel). Can't wait to live in The Castle with y'all!

Eventually, we did leave for ATL.

Kate, Kath, and I in front of the flamingos.

My sweet little!

BIG Event 2011 and 2012! This is where the actual formal was. It is called the Panda Veranda. How fitting!

We even got to catch a glimpse of this cute little guy. It was such a fun night!

Grace Upon Grace

from Sandra McCracken's CD


In every station, new trials and new troubles
Call for more grace than I can afford
Where can I go but to my dear Savior
For mercy that pours from boundless stores.

CHORUS:
Grace upon grace, every sin repaired
Every void restored, you will find Him there
In every turning He will prepare you
With grace upon grace.

He made a way for the fallen to rise
Perfect in glory and sacrifice
In sweet communion my need He supplies
He saves and keeps and guards my life

To Thee I run now with great expectation
To honor You with trust like a child
My hopes and desires seek a new destination
and all that You ask Your grace will provide.


"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:24-25a

Something BIG Came

Perhaps the real reason I haven't blogged for an entire semester is because of this thing called the BIG Event. The BIG Event is a student run community service day sponsored that exists as Auburn University's way of saying thank you to the community for being such an incredible place to live and learn. This year over 3200 students spread out all over Auburn, Opelika, and surrounding communities to participate in a variety of activities such as yard work, painting, and cleaning. Ok, I can spit out those few sentences in my sleep. What I really want to write about is how much I've learned through working on it. I was blessed to serve as Assistant Director this past year with an incredible team.

These three kept me sane, and have become almost like siblings! That's Patrick, me, Kyla, and Robert (L to R).  All the late nights, interviews, and meetings would have been way less hilarious without them. We were selected in March 2011, and have been working for an entire year to make the event happen! I can honestly say that I have learned more from the BIG Event than I have in any of my classes. I learned practical things, like how to run a meeting and write a press release. I also learned more than I even know about how to relate to people. I worked with countless different personalities. In October we chose about 80 project coordinators and staff. I loved getting to meet and work with all these people! I had so many good conversations about everything under the sun! I was in charge of all the publicity, which meant that I coordinated volunteer recruitment. During that week the Lord reminded me that every single word and attitude and action is a chance to either glorify him, or ruin my witness. Whether I like it or not, as a Christian, I represent him in every interaction. This seems simple, but I guess it took having people watch my every move to remember it!  

Now to the actual event. This picture above is from Kick-off, when we got to talk to all 3200 volunteers! At this point, Kyla and I had a combined 8 hours of sleep over 3 days. I never, ever want to do that again. Somehow though, after lots of people bringing food, a few tears, and a nap on the student center couches (ew!) we made it to March 24th! The day of the BIG Event was SO much fun. It was incredible to see all our hard work paying off. I love the picture above because Robert is talking to Patrick while Kyla is talking. Typical. 

Since I didn't get to do any hands on work, here's a picture to prove that it got done! A group of my friends was at Loachapoka Elementary School. I guess they are proud of their pile of trash. So many people worked so hard, and people all over the community are incredibly thankful! 

Above is a picture of Kyla and I with Mrs. Sullen, the principal at Notasulga High School. That was another one of our major sites. Patrick planned the landscaping. The school looks so different! It has been fun to hear stories from other volunteers. More than anything, I am thankful for the countless relationships formed and developed. I am thankful for all the Lord taught me about selflessness, hard work, and leadership. I am not going to know what to do with myself next year. Free time. I think I like the sound of that!

Time Flies

Hello blogging world! I'm back! It's been a long time. This semester has gone by CRAZY fast. I can't believe that I'm almost done with my second year of college. I'll post pictures soon from all the things that have been going on over the past few months. For now, here is a little snippet of what the Lord has been teaching me. Spring makes me incredibly happy. I'm pretty sure that flowers are directly correlated to joy. Dogwoods and azaleas are my favorites. Each year, all the new life always makes me think about change. This stage of my life is full of that, as I feel like each semester looks completely different. It feels like I have big decisions to make weekly, and sometimes that has gotten a little overwhelming. Over Easter, the Lord graciously reminded me that he is not as concerned about my circumstances as he is about my character. Where I live, when I graduate, how I make my money - he cares about those things! But above all, he wants me to delight in him and to know him. God can be equally glorified in any situation and circumstance. What a comfort and a reminder to be free from anxiety! I can trust him with this season and the next. What matters is that I am constantly becoming more like Christ, through his strength alone!

And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are this things I do, and I do not forsake them. Isaiah 42:16

The Pursuit of Holiness

4 Qualities that characterize Puritan piety:

The first is HUMILITY, the cultivated lowliness of a sinful creature who is always in the presence of a great and holy God, and can only live before him through being constantly pardoned. The second is RECEPTIVITY... openness to be taught, corrected, and directed by one's discoveries in Scripture... disciplined by the darkness of disappointment...encouraged by happy provinces... readiness to believe that the good hand of a faithful and gracious God, who is ripening his children for future glory, shapes it all... the third is DOXOLOGY, the passion to turn everything into worship and so to glorify God by all one's words and deeds. The fourth is ENERGY, the spiritual energy of the true Protestant work ethic whereby laziness and passivity are damned as irreligious, just because so much remains to be done before God's name is hallowed in his wold as it should be. That all four qualities are formed by the Puritan view of God...is obvious... they constitute a mind and heart-set which, once formed, nothing can daunt or destroy...

J.I. Packer, The Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of a Christian Life

Back on the Plains

I got this CD for Christmas and it is some kind of wonderful. This is my favorite song. 

Today I went to the woods with three of my boys. Brother had to work, sadly. 

I don't know what it is about being outside, but tromping through leaves breathes life into me.

Ready or not, a new semester is here! And at the moment, I'm perfectly ok with that.

"And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, 

in paths that they have not known I will guide them.

I will turn the darkness before them into light,

the rough places into level ground. 

These are the things I do,

and I do not forsake them."

Isaiah 42:16

What a beautiful promise from the one who has ordained each of my days before one of them even came to be!

Lots of Free Time

Brother just bought himself an iPhone. I played with it and took a few very poorly edited pictures. So here's how I've been spending my life this Christmas break in pictures!

I made these letters in the first two days. This is my dresser in my room at home that now exists!

I bought WAY too many books. I think I got a little carried away. Oops!

This t-shirt quilt has taken hours and hours, but it's well underway!

Every time I quilt I get to know these people a little bit better... Criminal Minds is my new favorite show. One time the serial killer was targeting brunette college students studying child development who babysit.  Let's just say I didn't sleep so well that night.

I've been slowly (VERY slowly) breaking in my new birthday present.

I've looked for Jesus in the Old Testament. And found Him! Imagine that! :)

I was a counselor on the BYG trip to Gatlinburg. I went three times in high school, so the Riverside Motor Lodge was a familiar place, but I learned so much by going in a different context!

After that, I stopped off in another part of Tennessee for the last few days of a wonderful conference with wonderful friends. I got to hear John Piper live (twice!) and was really given a lot to think and pray about as I start a new year and new semester!