lately

Hi, I'm a grownup (when did this happen?) And so,  I have now been immersed into the real world of PR. 

Or so I like to think.

 Two events in the span of two weeks doesn't exactly go hand in hand with the words 'relaxation' and 'rest' as my last blogposts have seemed to expand on. The video link attached is from the production of RENT here at Georgia College (http://www.youtube.com/user/kelsue22) which is being performed this week. Also, we planned our Homecoming Alumni Reception, which took place this past Saturday--SUCCESS!

It's been a whirlwind experience trying to plan, and well... finding time to plan in itself, but I'm learning more people skills than my comfort zone can manage. There is no comfort zone in Public Relations, but I think I can learn to be okay with that. 

The future has been a topic heavy on my heart and stirring in my mind. This summer especially. Why do I even worry?.. My heart longs for traveling to Uganda, my pocket responds, "no." Comforting to think his plan might involve simply sticking around Milledgeville, despite my mind screaming, " ..but you just want to get away for a while!" Seriously, though. The urge to travel is overwhelming. I mentioned Uganda to my parents..haha. Yeahh... Either way, I'll check it out. Make the most of my options and opportunities. Yes?

Speaking of Uganda, found this website from a friend's facebook:

http://www.beadforlife.org/

The Ugandan women make handmade bead jewelry, and it provides work for them :) You can order offline! Do it! You can also host bead parties to help support. Be on the lookout for one at Georgia College ;)

mm, time for a few pieces of joy.

-awesome few days of sunshine

-the week starting to wined down

-God still managing to rip my attention away from all these silly earthly things that I like to think are worth something

-Realizing his finding worth in me, despite this and that and yadda,yadda,yadda

-Watching others growing with him and seeing how his changing a heart has a total different effect than my trying to change someone.

-my little sister sending my a small heart-shaped cookie cake with the word "hot" written in pink icing, haha..quit growing up, bay.

-looking at her pictures on facebook and being so thankful I never had anything to post my pictures on as a middle schooler. Eternal blackmail.

-The gift of being in an encouraging relationship with such a great and super loving young man for 6 months ..and 2 days. :)

-Talking about house searching with tae and getting really puuuumped! ps. if you live in a house in Milledgeville and it will be for rent after this year, let me know please, please! p.s.s only contact if your place has AC and heat ;)

-Slowly but surely learning to write music

-Thinking about summertime! This cold weather deal is really putting a damper on things. Florida is beginning to look pretty inviting.

-Signing up for the half marathon in Nashville very soooon! And teaming up with www.runformercy.org 

-Watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (..is that the name?) REALLY great movie.

-Good books and time to read :)

-Just laughing at how I try to plan every little thing, and noticing how different his calling for me is from my own

-Wearing flip flops when its 49 degrees

well, off to class! I'll leave on this: Psalm 37:4-6

Delight yourself in the Lord , and he will give you the desires of your heart.
		Commit your way to the Lord ; trust in him, and he will act.
		He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

his love.

Safe.

Sunday Mornings are my favorite. There's just something really comforting and restful knowing you have all morning to read, write, listen to music.. whatever it is, I like it. Interesting how much of a difference my week schedule makes on my emotions. I usually enjoy my week, but gosh is it exhausting. Even Fridays and Saturdays manage to be tiring now. So thank you, Sunday, for you I am super thankful. Also, First Christian Church doesn't start until 11, so for that, I am also thankful. Haha :)

Read a little Hosea yesterday and that sort of carried into today. It focuses on Israel and Judah being unrepentant--

"Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up." (6:1)

"Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth." (6:3)

How sweet is this? :) Let us press on to know him.

He wants to be the one to heal me, he wants to bind me back up after it seems like everything has been torn apart. I love the image of him binding hearts. It's like literally stitching them back together. Holding them together. Or maybe it's like crocheting, I can relate to that a little easier ;) haha, that's a lie. But really, that's beautiful that not only does he heal our wounds, but he binds them up with our hope stored in heaven. It's such an assurance that we don't have to feel hopeless, letting our tear continue to infect our hearts. And the hearts of those around us. He's healing us, and that's huge.

Why do I even fear, ever?

Isaiah 43:1 "Do not fear; for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine."

mm, found this :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciW8r-5kCDY

>>

A little Phil Wickham- "Safe"

One verse really stood out to me, he says, "The hands that hold the world are holding your heart." The title of the song is fitting, huh?

you are safe :)

his love!

Be Still.

Tonight is a night of rest. And girly-ness. I truly didn't intend for that to rhyme, but hey...whenever The Bachelor is involved the word 'girly' is soon to follow.

School has been nothing short of crazy lately, but the Lord is teaching me a lot about being satisfied. Satisfied in chaos, and in rest. Satisfied in impatience, and in his continual provision. Satisfied in energy, and in exhaustion. Satisfied in rejection, and in acceptance. Satisfied in my mess-of-a-self, and in his total changing of hearts. Satisfied in closed doors, and in ones swung open. Satisfied in tears, and in smiles. Satisfied in imperfection, and in his perfectness. Satisfied in love, and in learning to love...I think you get it :)

"Be still, and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10a

How comforting is that?...and by comforting, I mean satisfying :)

But seriously, there's such a difference in just the possibility of there being a God who has our best in mind, who creates clean hearts, and a God who remembers that we are dust versus KNOWING that he is exactly as he says. Still totally blowing me away.

Pieces of joy are long overdue.

-Time to WRITE

-Chalking on front campus with Jacob and drawing a GIANT arrow leading into Atkinson. If that ain't PR, I don't know what is..

-Experiencing the Lord in new ways:) he's never the same. so true.

-Having HEAT in our apt. Still so grateful.

-I think I already mentioned watching The Bachelor with a bunch of girls. Haha. Redefining joy, huh?

-Using Taylor's water purifier--for real, makes a difference

-Cooking dinner with Danielle! Parmesan Chicken. Success:)

-Accidently saying out loud with Danielle that we wanted to have an apron-decorating party.

-Playing guitar with Jake

-...and finding out that he's super good at basketball.

-Planning like 4 events at once. Multitasking at its finest.

-TAE turning 21!!!!! YEAHHH!!!

-Going to a hookah bar, haha

-The Bachelor wearing a turtleneck and saying "the kisses are magical"

-Seeing Bay and Jenz

-Learning to design webpages! yeaaah, html!

-Writing songs:)

-Applying for sweet internships!

-Meeting members of First Christian Church--they're so great

-Having time to just sit and think. hm

-Being too distracted by this show to keep writing..

his love!

Incorruptible.

I wonder what hobbies I'll take up as I'm growing older (ohkay, I am only twenty, but still). My dad watches birds, excuse me--Chickadees-- outside the window of our computer room. And I quote, "Holy smokes! Gotta pull out one of my books to identify this bird ", bird map in hand. I think I get my love of nature from him. I'm not an avid bird watcher quite yet, but.. time will tell. Either way, I love that he appreciates the creation.

Mom is in her room chatting up a storm. I'm waiting on her so we can finish buying a few last minute Christmas gifts. This year I attempted to be crafty and create gifts for a few people, and I must say, it's way more rewarding, and relaxing. Unless you try to crochet and fail miserably (whoops). Teaching me some serious patience and perseverance--yes, I'm still referring to crocheting, haha. Gosh. For some reason I thought it'd be a really genius idea to take up multiple new hobbies at once. All of which I had no previous gifts or special talents to make me think I'd somehow succeed. 1) Guitar -- it's coming along. slowly, but surely, 2) Crocheting-- think I already addressed this... :(, and 3) Piano -- I took lessons in 3rd grade, does that count as previous experience? Honestly, I think it's just that I suddenly have free time, so I feel like I should make the most of it. My family thinks I'm going crazy. Either that, or turning into a Grandma. Hm.

I cannot believe it's almost Christmas again. This year feels different, though. Less focused on the stress of it all, and more focused on... (yes I'm saying it) The reason for the Season. It's been sweet to see my family grow in just one years time. So much to give thanks for, but still so many aspects to be persistent in praying about. It's simple to just not pray for things that are going well in life, but those things are so much more apt to be corrupted; should be praying all the more for them, huh?

" Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible." Ephesians 6:24

Incorrupt love.

I'd never heard it mentioned like that..

in⋅cor⋅rupt⋅i⋅ble

  [in-kuh-ruhp-tuh-buhl]

that cannot be perverted or bribed

that will not dissolve, disintegrate, decay, etc. Synonyms: 1. upright, righteous, unbribable. .....Just something to chew on :) Not many things on this earth are incorruptible, huh? That time again, Pieces of Joy ! - Relaxation - Time with my sister - A trip to Washington, DC with Jacob and Em to visit his family - Going to the mall and managing to find peace among the...uh,...crazy shoppers - Pretzels at the mall, mm! - Baking christmas cookies and watching Kirk ruin every cookie he attempted to decorate - Having time to read - ...and write :) - Arts and crafts - trying to play guitar and sing at the same time--much harder than it looks - Taking pictures - Sitting in jamies allllllll daaaay looonnggggg - Watching movies:) oh dang, mom's ready to go.. I'll finish pieces of joy soon :D his love!

one year!

It's official. I've had this blog now for over one year! Grant-it I have been slacking major on updating, I'm pumped to have one year of my life recorded for all the social media butterflies to see. That's actually kind of strange and creepy..maybe I should rethink this whole blogger deal.. nah:)

Gosh, the week has been absolutely nuts! Went from a (sort of) relaxing Thanksgiving break to this extreme of studying and being super busy. It's so funny to look back on previous years of Finals week throughout my college experience. I thought I was busy then, hahah.. It's been somewhat enjoyable getting to work on Public Relations-related projects, though. I really like my major:) Nerd alert, huh?

Times like these that remind you, or..not even remind--they straight up show you-- that I simply cannot even possibly manage to do all of this on my own, or even dwell in the stress of it all. You learn he provides rest, and him alone. All you can do is pray, and laugh a little at the ridiculousness of college.

Been skimming through Jeremiah this week; talks a lot about God's wrath. Those people were

in a constant state of restlessness without God on their side. I remember feeling a lot like them

before knowing Him. It's exhausting. It's like Finals week every day of your life, and you feel like no one understands you or even wants to be a part of your mess.

God does.

How sweet is that?

"Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret

places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord"

Jeremiah 23:23-24

hm.

man I'm almost nervous about this pieces of joy posting. It's been too long. Too much thankfulness to be listed ...seriously.

Here goes nothing...

Joys:)

-thanksgiving with friends/family....and by family, I mean the Gridleys

-Running the half in 2:03 without training (last year 2:11 with) and almost dying/passing out..hahah..

-Deciding it was a good idea to run 13.1 miles with turf toe

-Going to Anna Maria the beginning of the break and sitting on the beach

-Falling out of a tree...are you suprised?

-Writing on my blog when I should tooooootally be studying

-Having moved OUT of the Green House and into the sweet new APT

-Having HEAT, AC, WASHER/DRYER, DISHWASHER!!!!!!! THIS PLACE IS THE RITZ!

-Learning to just love with no strings attached (hey, nsync)

-Sitting in the libe study rooms with Jules, Katie Mac, and Ashtyn as they worked for over 17 hours STRAIGHT on some Exercise science project

-Being surprisingly productive, and realizing I've been spelling 'surprised' without the 'r' for quite some time now..

-Jacob encouraging (okay, forcing) me not to stop running during the half, AND staying with me the entire time when he could have ran it way faster. He's way nice:)

-The picture taken of me during the half that my brother so graciously posted on my wall..It's hideous. Or did I mean to say hilarious?

-Having christmas lights hanging from my ceiling! I LOVE THIS ROOM SO MUCH.

-Christmas parties!

-...I would say cold weather is a joy, but let's be honest.. I really, really dislike coldness.

-Oh, Twilight..the movie. Mm.

-Short hair!...ish

-Talking to my mom for a really long time today. And realizing how hard it must be to be...well, a mom. Parents need our prayers too ;)

-John Mayer's new CD, Battle Studies.

-My sister is a joy.

- Picking out a new bicycle so I can start biking! For real. And give my mom back her comfort bike. I will miss you, comfy seat.

-Driving to Atlanta to see a Drive-in Movie, haha, like Grease. Except we brought lots of gummy worms and chex mix:)

-Finished a journal and got to start a new one:) I do love notebooks.

-Thinking it's about time to retire the Hello Kitty blanket. Sad, sad day.

-Looking forward to seeing old friends over the break!

-Learning to just not make a back-up plan, but to just pray and trust the He has my best in mind, and will do things as he sees best fit. My ways are way ...more dumb.

-Wondering how I am such a Grandma and I'm still only twenty... Gosh, I'm only twenty.

- Oh yeah, Jenna, her dad, and my dad all ran the half as well! hahah.. so funny. Thanksgiving

dinner was a little slow to say the least

shew. I cannot write anymore. There's no way. It's 11:24 PM...way past my bedtime, haha, but seriously..

ps. IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS! yessss!

his love! (way sweeter than my own)

For when I am weak..

Just got in from a relaxing evening with the girls.

We made bracelets. So girly, and so..well, refreshing.

I do love being in a crafty mood; seems to be happening more often lately, but I can't figure out what's the meaning behind the sudden urge to be artsy. Maybe sitting in Blackbird coffee shop did it to me. Then again, maybe it's the past week's unusual gift of free time. Regardless, I don't hate it. But I do wonder what it'd be like to be one of those really unique, creative people. You know who I mean. The person who's every thought keeps you unusually interested. It's 11:32 pm, which might explain this rambling. Maybe there's a point, though.

Ah, yes. Here it is, haha: I was reminded a lot this week of how the lord created my heart uniquely and creatively. Only he knows the remedy to bring my heart and soul to rest. Makes you really realize you're his child when he calms or creates a situation to show his strength through your weakness. hm. Way to be awesome, lord.

and then he showed me this:)

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

(2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

aaand

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

(1 Corinthians 1:25)

...gosh I have so, so much room to grow.

pieces of joy time, yes!

-baking bread and not following the recipe, hah...

-the oven warming up my house, thank goodness

-waking up in the middle of the night with a frozen face

-playing 'lucky' by jason mraz on the guitar and slowly learning to sing along

-lying in the grass and watching leaves fall

-sunshine:)

-sitting on my roof!

- girl time

- linner with alicia, and our current obsession with Einstein Bagels

-sleeping in until 8!

-having a newfound love for photography

-plugging in a night light...I'm twenty.

-tomorrow and sunday:)

-rest

-downloading matt wertz' cd FOR FREE online!

-talking to jboi on the phone, finally

-seeing the power of prayer

-i already said this, but i love it that much. AUTUMN and LEAVES. mm.

-needing to purchase a pair of closed-toe shoes... TOMS perhaps?

-debating whether or not to turn on my heating blanket..hm

-dropping my straightener on my foot, did I mention that in the last blog? but it's healing:)

-learning how my ways are really and truly so much lesser than his

-thoughts of bringing out the slanket. It's about that time.

- Jacob and I going to walmart to buy a slingshot to shoot at squirrels from my roof. Probably not safe

-Walmart being sold out of sling shots?...and York peppermint patties.

-wanting to go to NYC asap. or the mountains. or even the beach for that matter.

I'll try to be updating this more often. So much goodness going on

his love!