a grasshopper walks into a bar, and the bartender says, "hey! there's a drink named after you!" and the grasshopper says, "you have a drink named Steve?"

today I have next to nothing to say.  I usually have a game plan when I sit down to write something. But today I'm wingin it. I'm pretty sure next to no one reads this. Except for you, Kimmie ;) But I don't really care if anyone reads the things I write, because I mostly just write them for myself anyways. And the only thing I can think to write today is a long list of all the little things I love.  Well, as many as I can think of anyways. I will leave out the obvious ones, and just go straight to the little ones that offer me daily moments of joy.  Everyone loves a good long list, right?

I love...

1. snacking
2. getting home from work/class/errands and taking off every uncomfortable article of clothing or jewelry and replacing them with only soft, cushy, comfy ones
3. putting all my hair in a messy bun. top it off with a head band and you've got yourself one happy camper.
4. playing volleyball. there is no other release that has compared.
5. getting a compliment out of the blue
6. giving a compliment out of the blue
7. having a feeling of accomplishment
8. clean warm laundry
9. Grey's Anatomy. best tv show ever made. shows that compare: Modern Family, Happy Endings. Could I watch them all day? Does a bear poop in the woods?
10. sleep. the kind you wake up happy from. yes.
11. spooning. perferrably little spoon.
12. laughing so hard that i cry
13. thinking about all the beauty and blessings that are in my life
14. slightly foggy mornings. they remind me of Pride & Prej
15. pretending i have an English accent
16. the smell of my house
17. chapstick
18. looking forward to things
19. the smell of Barnes & Noble
20. reading trashy celebrity magazines. i love it. can't get enough of those people.
21. correction: looking at the pictures in trashy celebrity magazines.  let's be honest, are any of those articles worth readin? mm no.
22. holding hands
23. being completely drenched in sweat. accomplishment.
24. volleyball tournaments that exhaust me to the point that i am completely content staring at the wall for the rest of the evening. if you know me at all, you know that staring at the wall is less than appealing to me.
25. going to movies
26. getting really excited about something
27. giving gifts
28. getting gifts
29. the sky. how amazing is the sky? it has so many personalities.
30. popping a good zit
31. not having any zits to pop
32. taking a really long hot shower for no reason at all
33. the smell of shampoo. Pantene Pro-V to be exact. They know what they're doing over there.
34. hazelnut lattes
35. walking around the mall
36. buying a new summer dress
37. fire places. love everything about them. the sound, the look, the heat, the smell, the taste...wait....
38. good hair days
39. fruit
40. steamed vegetables. delicious.
41. SKITTLES
42. movies
43. having an epic play during a volleyball game and is all anyone can do is completely freak out and scream until close to passing out
44. deep conversations
45. knowing people love me
46. when i speed and don't get caught. well...when i do anything wrong and don't get caught
47. the feeling of freedom from something. whether that something is my job or my bra
48. puppies
49. hearing a baby laugh
50. George W. Bush. woahhh whaat?! who let politics into this blog!? get outta here. i have more important things to blog about. jish.
51. not stopping this list at 50 like i was planning to because i can just keep going and going
52. breakfast foods

well i think that about does it. so long for now.
ahhhhhh....all in a days work.

Add this to your To Do list.

In what situations are you content? No really, think about it for a minute.

Some might say they find contentment on the beach, with their spouse, at the spa, or simply just not at work. Others might say they are content when they are hanging out with family, spending time with friends, or all alone. Yet still, others would say they will be content when they retire, when they have children, when they get married, or when a pain in life subsides.

But it's easy to be content in those situations. Wouldn't you agree? But wouldn't it be great if you could find contentment in even the most miserable of circumstances? Your husband just lost his job, your mother just found out she has breast cancer, your debt is consuming your life, your job sucks, your back hurts, your car makes awful screeching noises, your co-workers are annoying the crap out of you, or you're having a bad hair day.

Mark it on your To Do list: find contentment.

Contentment. I'm not sure what it means or how to get it. I've been trying to wrap my mind around the concept of biblical contentment for many months now. Every now and then God will reveal a little bit of wisdom on this subject to me. It's as if He is slowly pulling back the curtains to a stage. I think He's revealed about one centimeter by now. I have found that the more knowledge I gain, the more I realize I know nothing.


One thing I have learned is where not to look for contentment. The world. The only place to find this precious gift is in scripture and through prayer. So that is what I will do. I will pray and read, and wait for the Lord to bless me with more wisdom on contentment. I will wait until He feels I am ready for a little more insight. My conclusion thus far? Contentment is found through pursuit of the Lord.

But now I will leave you with words much better said than any words of mine. I hope this brings you encouragement, as it did me.


"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth."
- Isaiah 12:2-5 (NIV)

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."
- Isaiah 26:3-4 (NIV)

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
- Philippians 4:4-8 (ESV)

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
- Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)

love/hate relationship.

Hate.

Morning time tends to be a problem for me. No, more like a battle. My alarm goes off, I hit snooze. I hit snooze again & again & again- even sometimes in my sleep (which is entirely inconvenient because that's usually when I'm late to something or I miss class). Most nights before I doze off I think to myself, "tomorrow will be the day I will get out of bed the FIRST time my alarm goes off!" And then tomorrow comes...and my bed seemingly becomes warmer and more comfortable than ever. This is when the stronger part of my will comes in and crushes any thoughts of actually doing what I set out to do. Conclusion: this girl hates gettin out of bed in the morning.

Love.

But the thing is, I love everything about morning time. The grass is dewy, birds are chirping like crazy, no make-up, hair's a mess, and I get to be in my pj's for just a liiiittle bit longer. But there's one thing I love most about mornings: the peace! There is no other part of the day that is as peaceful as morning time. Jesus knew what He was doing getting up at the crack of dawn to go pray. And I am fairly certain I would be a happier person if I got up at 6:00 am before my early-rising family. I imagine myself just sitting on the deck, reading, praying, & being peaceful with nature. No distractions. No phone. Just peace. How could I have a bad day if I started it off like that?!

 I recently took a trip to the Dominican Republic. My group and I were only 10 minutes from the beach. So one morning a few of us got up early and walked to the beach. It was only 6:00 am, and the beach was practically empty. As I sat there listening to the waves crash onto shore, I was overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with the peacefulness of my surroundings. I'm accustomed to a busy schedule, racing non-stop thoughts, and being surrounded by man-made noise. So what was I supposed to do, just sit there and do nothing?! Exactly. Just sit there and admire my God-made surroundings.  But the breathtaking view of the enormous ocean, the sun rising, the fishermen casting their lines, and the feel of the sand and water hitting my toes was almost too much to bear. It sounds silly, even to me, but it was exactly how I felt. Overwhelmed and restless.

So, for now, I will keep trying to harness that peace and let it become a part of who I am, and I will keep enjoying the simple pleasure of a peaceful morning.

feeling rejuvenated.

There are some people who jog for pleasure. I am not one of them. Jogging is, well, miserable. The only part of jogging that I like is the part where I'm done jogging. Didn't see that one coming did ya? But there's always that wonderful feeling I get after a nice miserable jog. The feeling of rejuvenation. At first, I'm tired, but then I get a rush of energy. Not to mention the feeling of accomplishment. Overall, jogging has way more pros than cons. I just need to suck it up and push through the pain.

But jogging provides me with more than just a burst of energy, a feeling of accomplishment, or a way to keep in shape. It provides me a time by myself. A time where I can just run with my thoughts. Just me and God...O, and my dog Max too. It's a time where I can just talk with God and admire His creation. You wouldn't think there would be anything interesting to look at here in central Illinois, but there is more than meets the eye. The grass isn't just green, it' the kind of green only God could create. It's the most perfectly lush shade of green you've ever seen. And the sky is always changing- sometimes blue, sometimes grey, but always an incredible sight to see. And in the distance there's the busy highway. The quiet yet constant buzz of the cars reminds me of how small I am in comparison to this massive planet.  The feeling of the wind against my face cools me down. And I've never breathed such fresh and perfect air as the air in rural Illinois. No pollution, no smoke, no exhaust. Just air. First it picks up the aroma of the neighbors flowers, then it blows through the pine trees in your yard, and finally it swoops through the grass in the ditches until it reaches your nose. Just in time to give me my next wonderful breath of freshness. 

So maybe there is more to jogging after all :) ahh simple pleasures...

starting fresh.

Simple pleasures seem to be a theme in my life. Everyday I find them in the smallest of things.  Have you ever seen the movie Amelie?  Well, if you have, you know that the main character (Amelie) finds pleasure in the smallest things!  Cracking creme brulee with a teaspoon, skipping stones at the nearest canal, and dipping her hand into a sack of grain at the market.  Years ago when I watched that movie, I realized that I do it too.  I find joy in simple pleasures.  I have used these small moments of pleasure throughout each day to remind me to express my deep thanks to my perfect Creator.  I could probably list hundreds of examples of these little bundles of joy, but I do not want to give them all away at once!  So for now I will start with one of my favorite things.

Coffee.

I love everything about coffee.  The smell, the taste, the way it feels to hold a fresh cup in my cold hands, the sound it makes when it's brewing- not to mention the caffeine boost.  I especially love waking up to it.  There isn't a better simple pleasure than waking up to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.  Now I might contradict that statement in another blog, but I will try not to :)  

I feel as though you are either a coffee lover, or a coffee hater.  I don't know many people who are mediocre coffee drinkers.  But I am a coffee lover.  It creates an atmosphere of community and relaxation.  When I look around my house when my whole family is together, everyone has a cup of steamin joe by their side.  And when this busy world wakes up in the morning, what do you think is a-brewin in their kitchen?  And when you curl up on a cold and snowy day, is it with a glass of ice water? No! You've got a big cup of coffee to keep you warm.  

I realize that not everyone loves coffee as much as me, so don't take my words as truth.  But I do know one thing: coffee is a wonderful simple pleasure sent straight from the man upstairs.  It makes me feel warm, content, and joyful.  Who knew one little mug could fit so much?