Random fact of the day:
I could diet from any food in the world -EXCEPT- ...
Tonight I, without even planning it, spent all my time in the kitchen--and it was SO wonderful. I swear it is now officially my favourite room in the house...especially when sweat pants & country music is involved.
I conquered a recipe of honey-glazed carrots, and it was delicious! I have such a sweet tooth and this was just the dish for me!
Still feelin' ambitious, I chopped off some florets of broccoli, cauliflower, & garlic and roasted them to perfection!
Maybe God doesn't give us certain things because He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows that if He gave us [blank] then we would boast about it, be selfish about it, or maybe even find our worth in it.
Maybe God says NO to us in order to make way for a greater YES in the future.
I believe these things to be true. But then again, my mere human ability to understand God's great plan for the universe is simply...lacking.
I think I'll just have faith, and keep praying.
I'm going through a crisis in my brain.
Because I am not working right now, I do not have that everyday experience of interacting, serving, and helping others. Instead, I am at home doing the things I want to do...
I am comfortable. I wake up in the morning. I make my bed -most days-. I go for a run. I cook myself some lunch and then some supper. I job hunt. I read -alot-. I watch episodes of New Girl -too often-. I work on my General Epistles Distance Learning course.
But that's the thing--I do all of these things for ME. I'm not saying that any of these things are bad...well maybe New Girl isn't the best show in the world to watch moral-wise...but as a Christian I feel conflicted because I just get so sick of living for myself! I mean, where is the line between living selfishly and living selflessly?
I love people. As many times as I may feel bitterness towards some, deep down I still see the best in them; I. love. people. After a good chat on the phone or a hang out with a friend, I feel sooo fulfilled.
As a Christian, I want to live less selfishly and more selflessly. I want to do more things for people. I want to listen better, and to open my eyes more. I want to notice when somebody is hurting, or when somebody is lonely. I want to serve...and help.
Does anyone have any ideas as to how I can strive to encourage and serve those around me better?
Tomorrow I am driving out to my parent's to help them clean out the garage. I think that is a good start!
I'm still U.U.
My idea of a good, good day is spent doing the things I love the most. The things that make me happy...the things that make me, me!
Such as going for a jog in the morning (it feels so good to be back into my exercise regime again), Skyping with the boyfriend at noon (we are one-of-a-kind, that's for sure haha), and reading a book for pleasure/leisure purposes in the afternoon (no more of this college textbook business!).
I then spent the evening in the kitchen, (as of this year, it's my new favourite place to be)! Beforehand, while buying my mother a gorgeous bouquet of white chrysanthemum daisies for Mother's Day, I bought all of the ingredients to bake a BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA. Honestly, what sounds better than dough, chicken breasts, garlic bbq sauce, green onions, red onions, cheddar & mozzarella cheese, oregano, thyme, and basil??
A moment of very, very blunt honesty from yours truly:
Girls should not be wearing tights in public as a substitute for pants!!! This goes for lulu-lemon/yoga pants too.
Ask any male and he will tell you how much of a distraction it is. (Guys struggle enough with sexual temptation...so why would we want to make it any harder for them?)
Ask any female and she will say "I don't feel like seeing every dimple and crease of your body (those parts are called PRIVATE for a reason!)"
It just bothers me to see girls, especially young girls walking around in skin-tight pants completely oblivious to the effect is has on the minds of men. Men of ALL ages (yes, that 60 year old man still has eyes), might I add.
Phew! Glad I got that off my chest.
Hooray! Yesterday evening my condo-maties and I made cheese and spinach stuffed chicken breasts! They turned out fabulously! In fact, they were so good I think I'm going to make them everyday for the rest of my life. (...kidding?)
Good news--my condo has FINALLY attained internet! I know I know, I hadn't even lived in this place for a week and I was already freaking out. But it is only once I am without the internet that I realize how much I really do rely on it...for things like the weather, online banking, job listings, movies times (haha), Skyping, and of course blogging! Oh dear blog how I have missed you so!
Speaking of which, after this entry is posted, I will have officially written 507 blog entries. When I first created this blog, it was the summer of 2009. I was 18 years old and fresh outta high school.
I remember being upset about a boy who didn't like me back...I mean, my very first blog post was the lyrics to "Unstoppable" by Rascal Flatts. I was so over dramatically heart-broken, and 3 years later I cannot help but roll by eyes at this. So many things back then seemed like the end of the world to me. My desire here and now is not to minimize the hurt I felt those short years ago, for it was very real at the time. My desire is just to let it sink in how far I have come! I never let those silly problems keep me from doing great things. I had been accepted to University in BC and I couldn't WAIT for that summer to be over. I couldn't wait to explore the world!!
And three years later, a woman of 21 years now has explored much of the world. I've met so many people who changed my life completely. I'll never forget those girls in my dorm in BC who kept me so grounded--at the time I was so flighty...I could have done many -more- stupid things if it weren't for those girls. I'll never forget everyone I met at Bible school in Germany, students AND staff. Over a year later and we are all still sharing with each other on our Bodenseehof Facebook group. It was there that I fell in love with a guy who actually fell in love with me too and we've been bestest friends and going strong ever since. And I'll never forget the lady I met at Bible college in Saskatchewan whom everyday would remind me -over a cup of tea- what life is really all about: loving God, yourself, and others. Our last night together we stayed up until 6 in the morning just talking. Just TALKING. :)
After all of that world exploration I experienced, I came to realize that I was indeed, in love with my hometown. And 507 blog entries later, here I am! No longer crying about the boys who didn't like me back and no longer doing any stupid things...for the most part. :P I am blessed to have a boyfriend who is more in love with the Lord than with me and I am blessed to have many people in my life I can run to for help and encouragement.
I love that I have had this blog for so long! I love that just by reading through all 3 years of it I can SEE the growth.
God is good. :)
Here was me last Wednesday--eating my very first meal in my very first condo: strawberry, almond, spinach, oil & vinaigrette salad! Yumm-o!
I'm so thankful for family. I'm thankful that I finally decided to get a cell phone so I can now text my two sisters living in two different provinces. They are wonderful!
I'm thankful for the giant BBQ we just had where I spent over four hours conversing with fellow family members. Some of whom I haven't seen in months or YEARS. No matter what, that family of over 100 people will always be my team; we are farmers and farm kids, church-goers, amazing home cooks, hard-workers, and . No matter what, we will always get each others jokes until our sides hurt from all the laughing and we will always understand each others hardships and struggles...we've just been through it all together, and I am so blessed to have grown up in such a huge family that is still growing and growing!
I'm thankful that I live 5 minutes away from my brother and 15 minutes away from my parents. They are so nice--they even let me use their internet while mine is still in the works!
On a side note, the red in my hair has faded into the exact colour of copper red that I wanted:
I have officially moved into my new condo--and I am LOVING it. One of my "condo-mates" is striving to become a Residential Decorator, so you can only imagine how beautiful the place looks. It is extraordinary--the things she finds at the thrift store! Once the place is totally finished being furnished and decorating I will post pictures! But for now, here is a photo of what my bedroom looked like when I first moved in haha:
The sun is shining brighter, the grass is gettin' greener, the weather's gettin' warmer, and my overall happiness is sky-rocketing. This means SUMMER (the most wonderful time of year--other than Christmas of course) is almost here!!
Summer means that it's time to once again crank up the country music. Haha, as if I didn't listen to it all winter. :P Which I definitely did. This morning I watched Jason Aldean's "Tattoos on This Town" music video and ended up crying my eyes out. Sometimes it never ceases to amaze me of how much of a girl I am. The queen of all emotions. I love it though--I love this "femaleness" of mine. I love that my favourite movie of all time is "A Walk to Remember", that floral print is practically attached to my body, I am a chocoholic, and that I strive to read every Nicholas Sparks book ever written. I know these are all gender stereotypes that have all been constructed by society, but I love that I'm this way, and best of all my boyfriend thinks it's cute. :)
As I was saying, Jason Aldean "Tattoos on This Town" is a great music video. The number one reason I believe this to be true, is that the video actually pertains to the lyrics being said. It is SUCH a let-down when the most beautiful lyrics are written and all the artist gives for a music video is video footage from their tour (as amazing as your tour probably was, I want to see the good creative stuff!).
Reason number two, is that it is in honour of the American troops. I have incredible amounts of admiration for those men and women!
Reason number three, it's romantic. -cue the girlyness- :)
And last but not least, it's Jason Aldean. Enough said.
