"the rose street"

I think I've been pretty brutally honest about my thoughts in the last year on leaving Minnesota and moving to Redding... but to sum it up - I haven't been too content with it all, until recently. I made my own decision to leave and come here but it was still incredibly hard to say goodbye to Minnesota and the wonderful life I had there. But that's not what this post is about. This post is about "the rose street".


There is this little side-street across from my apartment where I go to take walks and ride my bike around. It's so quiet, except for the birds and the scurrying squirrels. And everything smells like nature. Every yard has flowers and grass and trees. I can stand perfectly still there and stare at the sky and not feel passersby staring and wondering what I am doing in the street. It's just a street, I didn't grow up there and really it's quite ordinary but it has become one of my favorite places in Redding.


I like this street because it's not my apartment, it's not my campus, it's not a coffee shop where everyone sits and doesn't talk to other people. When I go for walks, or bike rides, it instantly clears my mind. I calm down. Meditate. Dream. Pray. It's more inspiring than Pinterest and more relaxing than re-runs of some TV show. It somehow reminds me of things I long for that are easily forgotten in the drudgery of every day living. Maybe I'm romanticizing but in this season walks are just that good for me.



Anyway my favorite time to walk is in the evening, especially after it's been raining. Everything is so green right now and covered in flowers. Spring is already in full swing here (just ask my itching eyes and throat) so it's lovely outside in the dusky light. It has been dubbed "the rose street" because there always seem to be roses blooming somewhere along the street and it smells so sweet all the time.
It was raining pretty much all day today but this evening the sun came out so I got to go out and walk around the rose street. I realized for the first time, during my walk, that there are things about Redding I am going to miss. This street is definitely one of them. I am moving in about two months and it's making me think a lot about what I'm thankful for in this season that is ending so soon. Really there is nothing I do not have to be thankful for. I feel blessed beyond measure. In the quiet lonely times, the times without the freedom to spend money on something I want, the times without a church family - I still think I can look back at this season and not be able to count the number of ways God has loved me. When I leave my apartment and breathe the fresh air I find it so natural to thank God for my life here.


I think I could go on for so much longer about this season and the clarity I've been seeking away from my computer and text books but that would be an awfully long post. I usually make a point to leave my phone at home when I take a walk but today I brought it so I could snap a few photos to remember and share this simple pleasure.

The Rose Street

(cell phone pics)

the train kept-a-rolling...

If the weather in Redding these days could last all year long I would be the happiest person. I feel like I'm enjoying the most temperate summer and it's only March! I just spent a few minutes looking back at my old blog posts and I realize I talk about the weather a lot... maybe lame but I honestly love good weather. Sunshine, blue skies, warm scented air... it's all about getting outside as much as possible these days.

I am kind of posting this without any real purpose but it's been a slow, relaxing morning and since I'm here I figured I'd share a funny video Christie Ann showed me. I'm not even kidding when I say I laugh every time I watch this. Watch to the end, and you'll see.

enjoy :)

it's been quite a while

I apparently gave up trying to keep my blog updated but recently I have been wishing I had some outlet for expressing all the things going on in life right now so I find myself here again.  :)

October (my last post) doesn't seem that long ago to me which just means time is literally flying..

Right now I am mentally rehearsing my oral presentation  for français tomorrow while listening to the Giants game. 

Every day I sign on to my college application accounts to check the status of the remaining six schools I haven't heard from yet. I have already been accepted to Long Beach State University and University of California, Riverside! Either of those schools would be awesome and if I don't get in anywhere else I am more than happy to go to one of them. The days sure stretch in between applying and getting an answer, though. The acceptances mean that in May I am leaving Redding and spending some time at home before moving to an exciting new place. So, so many things to occupy my mind with this fact alone! I think I could write a book with the thoughts I circulate about moving and the next two years of school (and beyond). 

It's been such a lovely winter here in Redding and I am loving getting to go out and ride my bike, go for walks and just breath the fresh spring-y air. I am falling in love with the daffodils, poppies, and little purple, star-shaped flowers that grow all over here. They don't sway my heart from dreaming about the ocean and university life waiting for me in southern California but they do make me truly thankful for my time here in Redding. 

Maybe I'll write a list now for the things I have on my mind and as I have time over the next couple weeks I'll pour out my thoughts on them here. 

- living a single life

- thinking about life after college

- fitness and health (I'm turning the big 25 soon!)

- being content while dreaming of big things to come

- figuring out how to be the woman I picture myself being

       ......and so many more things but this is plenty for right now.

to end on a français note in preparation for tomorrow..

demain c'est mon examen de français, souhaites-moi bonne chance! Bonne nuit mes amis :)

now-a-days in Redding...

 

please Christmas don't be late.

Well I'm excited to say I just bought my plane ticket to the great state of Minnesota for this Christmas! I'll be there for almost two whole weeks!
I can honestly say it is already the highlight of my year. The thing I can look forward to and the thing I'll be able to fondly remember as I go through my days here in Redding. It's not that I regret moving here, or even leaving MN but when I think about it, I think of it as my home. A place I can be homesick for. My parents have moved out of the house I grew up in and into a whole new state and I, for the first time ever, feel like the comforting home base I've been able to lean on for years is gone. It's sad and exciting at the same time (and just to clarify, my parents new home is awesome and I am as welcome there as ever). But Minnesota, as cheesy as it is, is where my heart is. One day I may find a new city and new friends who help me create a new home but Redding isn't that place and until then, I am left remembering the good old days in Bloomington, MN.
Anyway, I can't wait to see my friends again and soak up some quality time in my beloved city.
Also Caribou.

I was browing pinterest....

Well it's been a while since I've had something I'd call blog-worthy to post about but as I was laying in bed a few moments ago (it's 8:45 here.. I'm sleepy.) a thought struck me. I was browsing the kids board, which I don't normally look through, because as close or far away as I may be from having a baby almost all my friends either have, or will soon have, a baby. So they are just on my mind. And when are they not somewhere in the back of my mind, really? Especially after a year as a nanny... SO I was browsing the kids section for fun. I stumbled across this blog post about "quirky discipline rules for children" and thought it might have some interesting pointers to log away for the future. However, rather than the typical astonishment at a pinned discovery full of simple wisdom, I felt really bothered. I decided I wanted to post about it but then thought, "Can I really have an opinion for or against a mother's parenting methods when I don't have any children myself?” I debated for a second then decided it’s not my wish to anger any over worked, stressed, extremely tired mothers but I am safe to say (at least to myself) that I hope I don’t parent like that. I don’t really know what it would be like to raise three kids, take care of household duties and everything else that comes with being an adult who is a wife and mother but I have some idea of what I hope it isn’t like.

Here is the article I mentioned: http://m.parenting.com/article/quirky-discipline-rules-that-work?page=0%2C0.

Some of the methods didn’t bother me at all and may work wonders for many mothers. But what got to me was this mother’s view on parenting. It was like her kids were constantly in the way of what was more important, the kids were annoying, the kids were too loud, the kids wanted to be entertained, mothering isn’t a 24/7 commitment - it’s a job you can stop when you want peace and quiet (rule 2!!). Now I believe mothers are also women and for all the time and life they give to their family they deserve some rest and some time to themselves. In fact they need it. But my point is this: my hope is that the value and the privilege of raising my children when I think I can’t take another rewind, even of The Lion King, when I am so tired of laundry and cooking and cleaning every day, when I feel under appreciated, when my kids are screaming in the car and so on… I hope I have what it takes to stay in it. I hope my children are never a burden to me and I hope I never forget that I am called to lay down my life for them. To reflect Christ to them every day and  remember that it is a sacrifice of JOY to love them. My mother, for one, raised me like that. And the friends I know who are now raising their children are a true inspiration to me! You mothers are examples of Godly love, wisdom, patience and strength and so much more and I am honored to know you. Truly, I am honored and humbled by you. You all are the kinds of mothers I hope to, one day, be. God’s richest blessings on you my friends.
Anyway, I just wanted to say I know it’s hard to be a mom but God help us – it is a high and special calling, sacred and wonderful. A gift. I hope against hope that I will be called worthy of it.

When I can't sleep...

Last night I tried so hard to sleep and wasn't very successful. It was one of those kind of nights when you are really sleepy and out of it - like your mind is racing through nonsensical things to no end - but you just can't  fall asleep. Which can in turn lead to an un-restful sleep when you finally do drift away. Anyway, I actually tried counting sheep jumping over a fence (which I found boring but apparently not boring enough) and nothing was working. So I decided to turn on this worship song in hopes it would impart some peace which might lead to sweet sleep. I heard this song at church last week and found it online the other day and I just really enjoy it. In the end it did give my mind some peace but as far as sleeping my self was just not having it. Anyway, I just wanted to share the song because it is so beautiful and simple and true. Enjoy and good night!

"...I am the Lord, your peace,

 no evil will conquer you.

Steady now your heart and mind

come into my rest...

...I am your anchor in the wind and the waves.

and I am your steadfast so don't be afraid.

Though your heart and flesh may fail you

I'm your faithful strength

and I am with you wherever you go."

...

summer days

Less than three months until I can start sending applications to universities.
Praying and thinking about going on a short term mission trip this winter.
Wondering what to do with the rest of my summer vacation now that my class is about to end.
Stirrings in my heart making it hard to sit still.

Been going to a gym. Studying French. No more Netflix = way more time for better things. Made a friend. Been longing for a 24/7 prayer house. Been missing Minnesota and wondering if I'll ever live there again. My parents are moving out of California and will be closer to Redding next month. Excited to be done with community college forever (soon). Popsicles and Air Conditioning. Summer is the best.

 4th of July

Hiking in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

Premier of Father of Lights - absolutely amazing event.

babies babies everywhere.

Single life is great and all... but man oh man would it be nice to give that life for a family. One day.
I don't covet my wonderful friends with husbands and babies - I am beyond happy when I get to see pictures of baby bumps and newborn awesomeness. Like really, it actually fills me with joy and makes me want to celebrate life with them!

But at the same time sitting alone at church gets real old.

Still thankful for the season I'm in now.. just got a 98% on unit exam #2 for my summer class. Let's get some scholarships rolling please!

Planning a few little trips for the summer before it's back to full time classes in August. Doing my best to embrace what I do have knowing I'm incredibly blessed to be able to do what I'm doing. To all my friends with babies coming or arrived, to my happily married friends - I am truly blessed to know you and to see the joy of life in you - keep sharing it! 

 summer rain

 summer rainbow (I totally edited this, unfortunately it didn't actually look like this but I love it)

 Loving summer. See the horse in the background?

 Oliver wants to help me study. Or rather make sure I stop and pay attention to him.

 Love this view.

"a little poop in the brownies..." and other valuable life lessons.

Well it certainly has been a while since I've taken the time to post, but I have been reading updates from you beautiful friends! So excited for all the babies and wonderful things going on in everyone's lives! I really enjoy the blogging world for allowing me to keep up with peeps.

So in the last month and a half I have: 
- Finished the spring semester here in Redding with 4 out of 4 A's thank you very much!
- Ate at Panera Bread for the first time in forever (twice in one day just to get it all in)
- Walked through Ikea (always fun) in Sacramento
- Toured the UC Davis campus which was awesome, and decided if I were to get accepted I would gladly attend there.
- Visited my parents at home in Twentynine along with my sister for two whole weeks! Got to swim in my pool for the first time since summer 2009, too!
     - Spent some time with some close family friends, visited their church for a great service, ate at a British pub (yummy!) in Anaheim where the "poop in the brownies" lesson came in and will be explained in a moment...
- Started my summer class yesterday (Earth Science) and have already had to tell the smelly boy next to me I won't be his study partner : /
- Started reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (so good and so different from the movie!)
- Have been doing a looot of thinking and praying

So our friend Mike brought up a story his pastor shared that I remembered from way back in the day and for those who haven't heard it I'll explain. The story goes that this pastor's daughter wanted to watch a certain movie with her friends but her father said no due to it's content. She argued that it was only a small part of the movie and the rest is totally fine and, in fact, really good. After a while of going back and forth he finally gave in and the girls came over and started the movie. After a few minutes the father walked in with a tray of brownies and said, "I made you girls some brownies to eat with the movie! Although, I should warn you, I did put a little dog poop in from the back yard but I'm sure you won't even notice!" The girls were shocked and made their grossed out faces and asked why he would do that to which he responded, "I only added a little bit, don't worry! I'm sure the rest is still good and if you just ignore it, it won't even bother you." The story goes on from there and needless to say the girls learned an extremely valuable lesson, as was I reminded of the same lesson from years ago.

I have had to learn the balance over the years of "simply living life in love with Jesus" and not getting caught up in legalism while also living a life of holiness. Thinking about every thing that goes in my eyes and ears and then realizing that "a little poop in the brownies ruins the whole batch" is funny but oh so true. It would be such a long post to go into balancing simplicity with zeal, and even looking up the verses I want to reference is getting to where I want to get off this post on get on my knees.

" ..preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded..." & "you also be holy 

 in all your conduct" & "..since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16

There are so many more that I've been weighing in my heart against my life but it is getting late. It has been a time of refreshment for sure and reminding of what is really important. School is challenging in so many ways but through it all I think I am learning so much more than how long the Cold War lasted, what minerals are, the culture and art of the Dogon people, the difference between the Classic and Baroque periods, and how the human digestive system works. I am really learning a longing for Truth. 


Anyway I had some time in between tests and course assignments for this crazy-fast summer class and wanted to share a little about what's been on my mind! In the next post, I'll share life lesson number two which I am taking from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and speaking of which I believe it is calling me now.

#24

Well today I am celebrating my 24th birthday!!!!!! 

It's hard to believe I graduated high school six years ago! I don't feel old, but certainly have come a long way since then.
Also hard to believe I only have three weeks till finals.. and time is really flying. I'm pretty excited about my next classes though.
I guess I just don't really have that much to update on (I do have a lot going on I will write about later actually) but what I meant was I just had a cupcake and am maybe a little wired and don't feel like sitting at the computer anymore. Almost time to go to dinner at FAMOUS DAVES. Yum.

Birthday highlights so far:

 Free drink from Dutch Bros! Might stop by another location later tonight for another one. I'm not ashamed.

Exploring the cool Earth Day type thing green, recycling whatever at City Hall with all sorts of free booths and stuff to look at. Got a free tomato plant and Melanie even got a free plum tree! Talked to a man who is a Sikh and he invited me to a free dinner and festival next month... exciting stuff :)

Also IT IS MY BIRTHDAY.

I was made for sunny days.

Yesterday I got to go on a free tour of the Shasta Lake Dam! Got all my dam jokes out by then end, and learned a bunch of stuff I can now store in my brain for random trivia. It was beautiful outside! A little cold but perfect for walking around the mountain and the huge Shasta lake.
Here are a few pictures from the day. If you don't feel like learning all the little things I learned about it skip the facts :) I found it all so interesting partly because I live here and partly because it was built during the time we just covered in my US History class! It was very exciting to see history up close like that :)

Here is your own little personal tour of the dam!

This is at the bottom of the dam after going down 428 feet in a big elevator. 

Fact #1: The amount of concrete used in Shasta Dam (6,270,000 cubic yards) will take 100 years to completely dry. There are 33 years left.

Fact #2: Concrete, even when dry, never fully stops water seepage and there is constantly water draining through the sides of the dam that has seeped through the cement.

Fact #3: Shasta Dam is the second largest dam in the country with twice the amount of concrete as Hoover Dam in Nevada, though it is not as tall. 

 This is one of the many tunnels inside the Dam connecting to really crazy electric monitoring systems and walkways. It was built in such a way that it carries perfect sound waves from one end to the other, and whistling inside can actually cause hearing damage. It was really cool and I felt like I was in some Dharma Initiative work area underground or something.

Fact #4: The dam took from 1937-1944 to build and start producing electricity. WW2 was slowing the process, taking man power and supplies away from the project until Roosevelt decided that the electricity the dam would produce was extremely important. He approved the rest of the supplies needed for the completion of the dam and told the men working that if they would stay and finish it as quickly as possible he would award them veteran status at the end of the war, which he did.

 

The is from what used to be a train tunnel that was closed off to build the dam.

Fact #5: The tunnel was used for river diversion during the building of the dam but is filled with concrete now. (This is the Sacramento River, by the way)

This was a little walk though admission thing (I honestly can't think of what to call it) from back when they first started touring the dam (I don't know what year). It looked cool to me :)

Fact # 6: To get the rocks and sand needed for the concrete mix up to the dam they built the world's largest conveyer belt (9.5 miles long)! It went from Redding up to the lake, and was more cost effective than using a train to haul supplies.

Well that's the end of the dam tour! 

yes, pun intended.
I know, I'm bad.

Hope you enjoyed learning about it as much as I did!

... I will press on.

"Single women have a dreadful propensity for being poor, which is one very strong 

argument in favor of matrimony." - Jane Austen

I'm about half way through my semester at Shasta College, about 5 months without a job. I know what I gave up when I moved out here to pursue a Bachelors degree, and what I will continue to sacrifice until I am through.
     - I gave up a job, first of all. A job I loved. Possibly one of the best jobs I've ever had despite how early I had to get up.
     - I also gave up a huge chuck, though not all, of my social life.
               -- Almost all (it seems) at this time because when I packed my bags and left my entire life in  Minnesota I said goodbye to every friend I had there, my community, and Bethany and Bethlehem Baptist all at once. Not to mention the great city of Minneapolis.
               -- The rest of my time in college, hopefully and expectantly, will not be spent feeling so homesick and lonely, because there is community to be found.
     - I also gave up time. It takes time to study, write papers, research, come to class, study, write papers, research, come to class, study, write papers..... and so on. Three years seems like forever on this side, but I know it will fly by.

That being said, I know I'm choosing sacrifice. I believe and hope it will benefit me in the end. And even in the hard times when I look at my bank account and wonder what the heck I'm doing, I know I'm fighting for something that is worth it. And I feel like that's exactly what I'm doing: fighting. I am really beginning to understand that "life is hard" and not (just) in a inner struggle sort of way, it is physically challenging. Demanding. Sometimes there are walls that have to be broken down. And from what I understand about Christianity a wall doesn't necessarily mean you're doing something wrong. It can sometimes mean you're doing something right. Jesus didn't say, "do your best and if it gets hard, do something else". I am walking forward with open hands saying all the time that if I'm not doing the right thing, I will change what I'm doing or the way I'm doing it in a heartbeat. But I really believe that until the day I hear otherwise, I will fight with all my might and all the pleas for grace and grace and more grace to keep fighting. In the one sense, He bears our loads, in another we carry our own crosses. I can't separate my spiritual walk with God and my physical walk on this earth and say "going to college doesn't have anything to do with my relationship with God - therefore I need to do it in my own strength". Life is acting in the spiritual as well as the physical, you can't leave one alone. So every wall I run into on this walk will have to give way sooner or later, that's just what I'm standing for. And that's that.

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained." Philippians 3:12-16

ttttttiiiiimmmmeee

I decided in January that, as fun as it's been, I'm going to grow out my hair. I want LONG hair. It's always been my little girl dream to have long hair - like being a ballerina, or a princess.. all aspirations of mine.

 My hair in October

So I am now tasked with the challenge of being patient during the looong time it takes to grow out a pixie cut. I figure with as fast as my hair usually grows, I may have it where I really want it around the same time I plan to finish college. These are both things I want to rush through and just "get done already" but what I know about myself is that I could always step on the brakes at least a little and be better off. I tend to hit fast forward in life too often, and I've been really trying to slow down and enjoy it for what it is right now. Even typing that was hard to embrace. Patience. whhew...

So to help me through waiting for my hair to grow, I am just accepting it that it won't be long-long until I am done with college, and I won't be done with college until my hair is really long. And there is NOTHING I can do to change the speed of either of those, both are set to maximum and that has to be quick enough. So, patience.

Here is where my hair is at as of today.. definitely making progress! 

So Spring break is almost over.. tomorrow is the one day I have planned to really "vacation". I'm spending the day in Chico with Melanie, hitting up Forever 21 and some local coffee shop and getting some food in an actual restaurant. And as I should have anticipated, Sunday will be "cram in all the homework and studying I should have been doing all week" day. So what.

Happy Friday!

Spring Break

Well it's only Tuesday which is good news. I've really been taking my dear sweet time getting focused on the homework I have to do. I thought I would just stay in school mode, and that was my plan - but I guess my body wants to be in Spring Break mode so here I am... posting about all the delicious foods I made today. I haven't been making as many yummy recipes lately for various reasons such as time and money but today I felt inspired and maybe rested enough to actually prepare something. Perhaps it was because this morning I dreamed about all the ingredients I need to make this strawberry salad I've been thinking about the last few days...

Anyway I was reading Natasha's blog and she posted about a bean salad she made and it looked amazing. I've been wanting to try a bean salad, so I decided I would today.

Here is the scrumptious result:

I followed Natasha's recipe only I added bow tie pasta, a little sweet corn, tomato, and some lemon juice. The rest is kidney, northern white and black beans, cilantro, cumin, EVOO, cucumber, and a little salt and pepper. I'm calling it Power Pasta and Bean Salad cause it's so healthy.

Then for an afternoon snack I wanted something a little sweet so I looked on Pintrest for Nutella recipes, which there are plenty of and I found a really simple, AMAZING fruit dip. It's such a good feeling when you have all the things a recipe calls for without having to go to the store! I just happened to have some plain non-fat Greek yogurt and Nutella and fresh Strawberries. And since I didn't want to make too much dip, I kind of guessed at the amounts and did a heaping spoonful and a half of the yogurt and a heaping spoonful of Nutella, mixed and the proceeded to practically inhale it. I literally couldn't stop long enough to get a cool food magazine style picture, so here is what I manged. 

 

Basically all you need to know is that this is super good. I think a fruit salad and this dip would be a dream. 

We have been having a spell of cold, dreary weather (I know it's the opposite in dear old Minnesota.. figures) so I've been staying inside more than I'd like to. I've decided to take up biking as a hobby/form of exercise/mode of transportation and then we get cold, rainy weather which puts a damper on riding a bike (haha - pun intended). But when it finally gets to be sunny again, I'll be out as often as I can and I think I'll post a bit more on how much I love to ride and how it makes me feel! I just love it. 

And I just thought I'd share, I visited a church over the weekend I feel like I may finally be able to call home (for now). The people were friendly, and Dinah, a woman I met, showed me around and introduced me to some of the people involved in the young adult group. I have to say - I think this is the first time ever that I've visited a church where someone took that much time to welcome me. I am very thankful I found it, and look forward to next Sunday. I've been seriously longing for a church I can connect to. I miss that very much. Minnesota still feels like home to me and when I think about it I always think I really did leave my life there. Even though I am doing new things now and it's a new season, it's still hard to think about what I'm missing there. But praise God He is faithful and good. Praise Him.

Spring flowers

longing for Him

Been thinking about what to post the last couple weeks...

I love you Lord

I worship you

You are my God 

You alone are good

You asked your Son to carry this

The heavy cross our weight of sin

I love you Lord, I worship you

Hope which was lost, now stands renewed

I give my life to honor this

The love of Christ, the Savior King

a history lesson

Yesterday I got to go explore Old Shasta and spend some time with my lovely roommate Melanie and her boo, Matt. I haven't been taking my Nikon out to play too much lately especially not now that I tend to use my phone for its convenience. But I had a lot of fun with it while we were exploring. Unfortunately the little museum was closed but we walked around for a while anyway. It's a really neat and cute, quiet area and since we just went over a lot of the Western Frontier in my US History class, it was really fun to go see the old town. Here are some of my favorites!

 

Last weekend was kind of crazy - I drove to Fernley, NV (4 hours east) to visit my family, and then not even 24 hours later drove back to Redding unexpectedly because Catlin brought a little surprise to town with her, Maribel came to visit! So I got to spend some amazing time with my good friends, and it was well worth the craziness.

cell phone pic

One last thing, I've been going through this Bible Study with my friends in Minnesota! A long distance Bible Study (we call it BS for short.. haha). It has been SO good so far, and I am so happy and blessed to have friends like them. Here is the book we're going through. 

Here is a link to the online study (I haven't really explored yet).  

Got to go to sleep.

Sometimes I just want to pack my suitcase and buy a ticket and GO.

lately....

Lately I:
- have had this sudden increase in discipline in my eating habits, and overall health. Probably almost entirely due to the things I'm learning in my nutrition class (and man-oh-man am I learning a lot). Also not having the money to go out to eat on a whim. It feels really good to make good choices.
- have been thinking I will let my hair grow out again, but almost every day can't stand it and want to get a trim.
- have been wishing for more opportunity to wear heels. It's not as fun to wear them without someone to show them off to, if you know what I mean.
- have had a real taste of unostentatious living and am really learning to walk in faith and love simplicity.
- love posting photos on instagram and using my phone to take little "film" style photos, though I would like to use my Nikon more.
- have been filled with joy.
- have been thinking a lot about my friends in Minnesota, across the country, and around the world. My little heart misses the comfort of my home in Minnesota every day.
- have had really cold feet like all day every day.
- try to go on a walk every day that the sun is out.
- have been reading through the Old Testament while simultaneously going through art, music and cultural history of the world during the same time frame at school and am so fascinated by it.

I'm looking for ideas, please help! 

I have been looking to expand my recipe collection with some natural* dishes, and am short on ideas. I am looking for recipes that are:
- not from a processed food item
- good as leftovers
- aren't fried
- budget friendly!!!

Let me know if you have some suggestions :)
*By natural I don't mean organic or completely homemade (I'm likely not gonna make homemade pasta or bread at this time), just not canned or pre made. For example, I would like to make some homemade spaghetti sauce, recipes or tips would be SO much appreciated!

Well, tomorrow is the Superbowl or something. I'm just waiting for baseball. Come on Spring.


signing off. going to bed.
love,

my "study" time

Today, my study time has so far consisted of finishing chapter 1, and then taking a little break to listen to this song a few times. I found it this morning - I'm a little behind the Shane and Shane times - but I'm making up for lost listening now.

Just had to share this song. Enjoy!!!

Lyrics

The Lord is the Spirit

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, now

There is liberty

And the Spirit lives inside of me

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, now

There is liberty, there is liberty,

There is liberty

For freedom You set me free

And yes, I am free indeed

You rewrote my name

And shackled my shame

You opened my eyes to see

I am free

When the spirit of the world

Comes to kill me and enslave me I will say

There is liberty

For the chains of sin that once entangled me

Have been broken, now I'm singing 'cause I'm free

There is liberty, there is liberty,

There is liberty

For freedom You set me free

And yes, I am free indeed

You rewrote my name

And shackled my shame

You opened my eyes to see

I am free

The storm rolled in

It was dark in the land

As the Son of Man

Was crucified

You don't take his life

He laid it down

He paid the price

And shed His blood

It is done!

The veil is torn

He has won

And I am free

And I am free

And I am free

I am free

For freedom You set me free

And yes, I am free indeed

You rewrote my name

And shackled my shame

You opened my eyes to see

For freedom You set me free

And yes, I am free indeed

You rewrote my name

And shackled my shame

You opened my eyes to see

I am free

Now, back to the books.