friends

lately i have been thinking a lot about friends, my friends, friendships and all that goes with it. right now is a time in my life where i feel like i have the coolest friends. i feel like i have always been blessed with great people in my life and i am so thankful for that. it is a gift i don't deserve and now is no different. i am surrounded by some wonderful people who i constantly learn from, am challenged by and laugh at a lot.

first of all there are all my friends at seminary, these people are so much fun and we have a blast together. i love that we can be quoting the last office episode we watched together or discussing our ultimate frisbee strategy and then seconds later be in solid theological conversation. basically, very cool people that i am thankful to get to spend time with.

in our ultimate frisbee tournament we lost in the second round but during the championship game we stole the winners t-shirts and took pictures like we won, but we didn't. our team name is "just kidding" so it seemed appropriate.

and then there are these girls, they are the coolest.

this family has me over for dinner just about every wednesday for the last year. they are a wonderful family and i have been so blessed by them and their friendship. Angela (the mom) feeds me, listens to me talk about my life and encourages me when i cry. she is a wonderful friend and i have learned so much from her. she puts so much thought into what she does as a mom and i am constantly learning from her.

all this friendship gush has come about because i just got home from seeing driving ms. daisy at the casa manana theater in ft. worth. i went with my friend tasha to this play that was so great. and allow me this disclaimer: i am not one of those super cool, artsy, deep people who always learns from every little thing. however tonight, God really taught me through this play. the friendship between daisy (played by the awesome sandy duncan who i love and was amazing in the play) and her driver, hoke, is one of circumstances. their friendship was an unlikely one and it grew out of a common respect for one another. as tasha and i discussed it afterward we noticed that there were never really any nice moments between them or great things that brought them together but that they expressed so much gratefulness for the things they did for one another.

i thought about how different my friendships are. some are full of great moments, conversations that change my thoughts about things, and a large amounts of expressed gratitude. others are more purposeful but without as much emotion. i don't know if any of this is making sense but i love that God knows what i need more than i do and He gives me this wonderful gift of friends. i had such a good time with tasha, she is so compassionate toward the lost and it makes me love them more too.

enough friendship gush, basically i am grateful for the people in my life and aware that they are a gift i am not deserving of.

also if you are one of my friends not mentioned in this post, know that it is not because i am not grateful for your friendship, just too sleepy to mention everyone.

they're here!!

my new chaco sandals are here!! i ordered them from rei (because i have giant feet and can't find my size when i go into a store like a normal person) and today i got an email and they are in!! the cherry on top, i am getting off work early today, its gorgeous outside and i'm going to pick them up. i might wear them tonight when i play ultimate.


also this weekend i am headed out of town for a little bit to spend time with some wonderful friends. i have been needing some "out of town time" and am thrilled to be getting to spend this time with friends that i respect, love and always learn from. i am going with the four women from my home church who came to visit me when i lived in china. pretty much the coolest ladies ever!

(i know there are more than 5 (me plus the 4 ladies that came to visit) people in this picture but the two other girls were the other girls that lived in china with me)

stay tuned...more to come

the greatest state on earth...

i am not one of those people that think texas is the greatest state on earth, that it's God's country and just feel sorry for all the people that aren't blessed enough to live here. i promise i am not one of those people. i mean i like it as much as the next person, people are friendly here and it was a great place to grow up, but i promise i am not one of those people.

however, yesterday i was absolutely in love with texas. yesterday, february we had the best weather ever. it was warm and sunny and in february!!

i thought seriously about quitting my job so i could go outside and play.

i decided to just wait until i got off work to play since that would be the responsible, adult thing to do. also i like to eat everyday and my job plays a major role in that enjoyment.

but then the time came, i rode a borrowed bike. i ran a little bit, i reveled in the warm weather. all the while i was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt...in february!! colorado may have its glorious mountains but can you play on them in shorts and a t-shirt and without frozen snot creeping down from your nose toward your mouth in february? i think not!

so yes, yesterday i probably would have told you that texas was the greatest state in the world.

just not sure yet

i am still deciding if i want this to be a blog i update often with everyday happenings or if it just something i use when i feel like i have words pouring out of me and i want to share them or at least get them down.


for now, i am just going to post some pictures.

luke purposed to ashley and she said yes so they are officially engaged!! i am pretty excited about this, i adore ashley and she is going to make the most fun sister-in-law ever!!

and my little brother is being a grown-up which makes me so proud of him and want to cry all at the same time.

this kid is the greatest.

his new fiance says that when he is around me, his big sister, that it brings something out in him that is a quality she doesn't always see.

"you bring out the butt hole in him!"

she says this as she apologizes for the way he has us both squished between the couch and one of those 36" rubber balls people are now using for exercise which means they are in the living room. for luke, to have a ball in the living room, and his sister and then expect him to not use one to torture the other is unthinkable. i try to get mad but then i look at him and he gives me a look like, "isn't this the most fun you have had all day?" and in and instant i know that it is so i just laugh until i can barely breathe then laugh some more.

and its true, in my life of also attempting to be a grown up and going from work to errands to more responsibilities to be around him and immediately be 12 years old again is just a delight.

tomorrow we are going rock climbing. i am excited...and scared.