on saturday i found inspiration in a bowl of pasta

which, if you know me, wouldn't necessarily come as a surprise
i do love my carbs.

but really
i was home after a session
at an amazing worship conference that's going on this weekend
and i was grabbing a quick lunch

i had made a pasta salad a couple of days earlier
and as i was cooking something else was absentmindedly eating a few bites of it
when some of the words spoken that morning began churning through my mind

words about the Living Water
rivers of Life
rushing water

i don't know how many times God uses references to water
when describing relationship with us, works within us, etc

i can think of several off the top of my head.

but the one that keeps throwing itself into the forefront of my mind
is

Jesus telling the woman at the well
that HE is the Living Water
and that if she drinks of the water He brings she will never thirst again

and as i looked down at my simple bowl of pasta it started to click in my mind

water...
this simple and abundant substance
does really wacky things to other objects!

like that dried out pasta that's too hard to eat
completely changes character after a few moments in the water
and...it never returns to it's original state

hmmm.

water causes growth in my garden
water purifies and cleanses anything it touches. 
boiling water sterilizes objects that are immersed into it. 
it refreshes and hydrates any living being that drinks of it

if plain tap water does all of that
water from the earthly sources of lakes, streams, rivers

how much more
can water from THE Source
cause growth...purify and cleanse...refresh...hydrate...bring life to us
completely change us

i don't know about you,
but i am ready for those rivers of refreshing, living Water
to completely wash over me
in a continuous flow

yeah...He's good.

there is a river whose streams make glad the city of our God (psalm 46.4)

what i'm loving wednesday .5

i'm loving the food truck craze that has invaded nashville. so far i've only tried the grilled cheeserie but it was AMAZING!



i'm loving this new brand of water additive. it's working for me in that i'm not driving through fast food places to get actual sweet tea anymore...or VERY rarely. i'd imagine it's saving me a few hundred calories per week



i'm loving my little garden full of herbs, tomato plants, cucumber and squash. here's hoping the last 3 flourish!

i'm loving that the cicada invasion is nearly over...but as a little comic relief i'm loving this profile pic i saw on someone's twitter account.

i'm loving that one of my jobs takes me to music row. it's a fantastic area to walk/run/jog in between lessons. now if ONLY i would remember to keep a pair of shorts and tennis shoes in the car!

i'm loving that le fiancé and i got to have a date night to les misérables the other night. it was SO.NICE to have a night out at the theater and we had amazing seats!

(source)

(and he bought me a shirt--SO sweet!! i'm loving his generosity...and look at that adorable grin!)

i'm loving that my future in-laws gave me my birthday gift last week--toms!!



i'm loving that i have a snuggly girl for at least a few minutes a day--she always hops up in bed at night for a cuddle. :-)

hey, it's ok (tuesday) .14

hey, it's ok

...to not hover constantly over the children in your care at an indoor playplace with security including coordinating wristbands. *cough*grandma following a 2 year old*cough*
(i am keeping eyes on the little one. and blogging. :-)
...to use baseball caps for their intended purpose: covering up the fact you didn't have time to wash your hair this morning
...to consider going for a jog armed with a tennis racquet to combat the cicada swarms
...to be slightly confused by this car sticker. i get the rainbow people, rainbow hearts and just plain rainbows. but are they in support of their gay cat? i suppose that's a good thing ;-)




...to refuse to live in fear
...to think that tennessee lawmakers have really gone off the deep end lately
...to have an irresistible urge to tossle cute little heads of hair like this one

it's a great day to be the awesomest cook ;-)

the kids have gone CRAZY over the food i've made.  from creating my own turkey burger recipe on the fly for thursday night's dinner, to packing lunches with little smiley face notes for the kids to making a killer pasta sauce last night.  this morning they requested butterscotch pancakes and those came out pretty incredibly too!

last night the middle child said "this pasta is SO good.  WAY better than my mom's pasta."

i think i shall refrain from telling the parents *that* little tidbit when they get back later today.

however, i may mention that the youngest was outvoted for breakfast.  he wanted...the leftover pasta.
:-)

hope you all have incredible days and weekends!

two worlds

i am a busy girl today!
playing pseudo-mom to three children (8, 6, 3) for 3 days
and actually thoroughly enjoying myself.

is it weird that i find myself absolutely loving putting on the "mom" shoes for a few hours...or days?

i LOVE this period in my life
i get to love and nurture
as a friend once said i get to be gracious with other peoples children

yes, i miss my classroom
i miss the structured chaos, the routine, the relationships with students and colleagues alike
i miss the smell of new expo or sharpie markers
i miss integrating technology into my lesson plans
heck, i miss lesson plans!
i miss seeing light and talent in students where others miss it
i miss decorating space
i miss creating a safe environment, physically and emotionally
and i miss a reason to look stylish and cute on a regular basis

but there are also so many things about teaching that i DON'T miss
and there are many things about this life that i will miss whenever i return to a classroom

like snuggling in to read a book together
having those hilarious conversations with 3 year olds
setting my own hours
having an excuse to wear yoga pants or running shorts as a wardrobe staple
putting babies down for naps
watching imagination come alive
privately giggling at made up rules for everything from candyland to the wii
packing lunches and leaving little notes inside
singing a good night song
speaking life and Gods love over children--freely

yeah...i miss the professional world and most of everything that means. but there's something to be said for the world i have found myself in the last few years.

and i know
that one of these days
i will be snuggling my own babies for a story before naptime
and putting notes in my own child's lunchbox

these two worlds won't be separate forever.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

in these moments

i'm not gonna lie.

it's been a pretty tough last few days.

beginning with a healing weekend (which was both wonderful and tough) in which i was kind of sequestered
and finding out moments after it was over of the death of a friend's twin brother
(he was a Marine and was killed in action in afghanistan)
and all kinds of crazy stuff in between

i haven't been doing a whole lot of writing the last few days
i've been doing a whole lot of listening
to what God has to say over me
to affirmations from those who love me
and who are walking this journey with me

i'm intentionally seeking time with God
letting Him speak over me
to me
through me

and that's been amazing.

sifting all the grime and pain away from the last few days
His little treasures shine all throughout it
and though i don't find this time easy
it is good.

however, writing is so therapeutic for me
so i will be here
in this little corner of the internet
even when i feel i have nothing of value to say.

may this week open your eyes
to those treasures that He has for you
to the people surrounding you that have been purposefully placed there

may you be able to say
with all certainty
into the face of anything that comes your way

"God's got this"

hey, it's ok (tuesday) .13

hey, it's ok

...to have thought the local air show was a cool idea until you were just praying that the 2 children under the age of two you were with would sleep through all the noise
...to not really want to pay for an eye exam just to get new contacts.  grumble, grumble
...to kind of want to go to mt vernon and see if there really is a secret passageway after watching national treasure 2
...to occasionally (often?) have children's songs running through your head when there are no children present
...to pretty much be on a first name basis with folks at the cable company
...to really, really hope that the issues that the cable company and i have had the past year don't follow me to the next residence.  i'm hopeful -- after all, i had the same exact service at my old place with nary a problem  other than a rare service outage.
...to be considering doing the women's half marathon in september.  except that (a) i have never done that sort of distance before and (b) it's like 2 weeks before the wedding.  is that insane?!
...to be plotting the quickest route from the house to car and other destinations when the cicadas invade full-force
...to want a do-over for the night's sleep that didn't.happen because of all the coughing you did
...to be shocked that gas stations still exist where you don't have to pay at the pump first.  or even with cash first!

(amber has the original -- go visit her!)

it's a great day to babysit, well, all day!

so i've picked up a regular (every 3rd week) job to squirrel away some wedding cash
meaning that i spend every third saturday and sunday caring for 2 adorable children under the age of 2.

i'm gonna be busy!
and i'm totally taking a change of clothes. because nannying for 2 under 2 sometimes requires a hazmat suit.

right after i work 11 hours today, we're getting together with a's parents to give his mom our gift since i won't be around for actual mother's day.

hope your weekend is just as exciting as mine promises to be!

thursday's ten: national day of prayer edition

in honor of today's national day of prayeri thought i would showcase a few written-down prayers
that have sustained time and denomination
speaking a heart's cry to our God for generations

isn't it amazing?  while the words of some are much more flowery than i've ever used...it's amazing how in tune they are with where i find myself at times.




Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith.
I trust in you: strengthen my trust.
I love you: let me love you more and more.
I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.
I worship you as my first beginning.
I long for you as my last end.
I praise you as my constant helper,

 - Clement XI

- Mother Teresa

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine.

So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

- John Wesley

Hallowed by Your name, Lord. Do whatever it takes to be holy in my life. Take your rightful place on the throne. Exalt yourself. Magnify yourself. Glorify yourself. You be Lord, and I'll be quiet.

- Max Lucado

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

-  St Patrick

Come, Lord Jesus, and abide in my heart. How grateful I am to realize that the answer to my prayer does not depend on me at all. As I quietly abide in You and let Your life flow into me, what freedom it is to know that the Father does not see my threadbare patience or insufficient trust, rather only Your patience, Lord, and Your confidence that the Father has everything in hand. In Your faith I thank You right now for a more glorious answer to my prayer than I can imagine. Amen.

 - Catherine Marshall

Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.

 - St Augustine

May the power of your love, Lord Christ, fiery and sweet as honey, so absorb our hearts as to withdraw them from all that is under heaven. Grant that we may be ready to die for love of your love, as you died for love of our love.

- St Francis

Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Living God,
you breathe in us
on all that is inadequate and fragile,
You make living water spring even
from our hurts themselves.
And through you, the valley of tears
becomes a place of wellsprings.
So, in an inner life
with neither beginning nor end,
your continual presence
makes new freshness break through. Amen.

- Brother Roger of Taize

O God of Second Chances and new Beginnings, here I am again.

- Nancy Spiegelberg

what i'm loving wednesday .4

i'm loving this year's hockey season! our predators are currently playing the #1 team in the league, and holding our own.
i'm loving that we've selected our photographer.  she's amazing, in our price range, and (bonus!) she's actually the very first person i ever met in nashville.  i'll have to tell y'all that story sometime :-)
i'm loving my cell group girls.  such amazing spiritual insight, Godly conversations, and great taste in food (a bunch of sushi, thai, vodka pasta loving fiends!)
i'm loving the child wearing this t-shirt. i won't see him quite as often after this month (more about that later) but i have SO enjoyed these last few months with him.  and plan to babysit as often as they'll let me ;)

i'm loving the instagram app on my phone.  i was late to the party, but it's so fun to play with! (photo evidence below)

i'm loving the message that pastor alyn brought to us on monday night.  such a gentle, balanced perspective on our response as christians to the events of last weekend.  you can download it for free here (it's entitled 'justice is good.  but mercy is better'
(by the way, while you're there if you are in the nashville area or would like to be for memorial day weekend there's a link to a FREE conference as well.  it's called the MORE conference, and all you need to do is register :)  look for the tab at the top of the page)
i'm loving that we'll be having sunny days for the next few at least...seems like RAIN has been here more than anything else and i am ready for a tan!  i mean...a walk...or run...or something.
i'm loving my sweet hubby to be.  sometimes i feel like all of this wedding planning is a dream that i don't want to wake up from.  soooo happy i get to spend the rest of my life with him :)

hey, it's ok (tuesday) .12

 hey, it's ok

...to eat doritos with your low-fat cottage cheese.  it's balanced, right?

...to sometimes watch silly tv shows

...to love wrapping paper and wrapping gifts in a nearly unhealthy way :-)

...to consider trading free babysitting for my clients with elipticals.  i used one of them the other day and it was a fantastic workout!

...to really, really, really be tired of the rain.

...to be thrilled that not only do you have a summer job lined up but that when the mother called to tell you she used the words "we are so happy and excited that we've found the perfect person for our family!"

...to be over-run with laundry.  all of it clean, none of it in it's proper home.  yikes!

...to be a hockey fan even if your knowledge of the game is a bit sketchy.  but hey, the fights are kinda fun.  (go preds!)

...to get excited about goodwill shopping.  no reason to spend big money on a wardrobe as i'm moving between sizes and losing the weight.  and finding actual quality pieces there makes me even more excited.

it's a great day to watch hockey

thank goodness it's my "weekend" wordle and not a "saturday" one! we just watched a nail-biting game in which the predators tied up the series with the canucks. to say we were nervous wrecks the entire double-overtime game is an understatement! but we're on our way back home with a tied series, so it's gooooood!

hope you all are having exciting and wonderful weekends.  blessings!