{heaven on earth}

Today my friend Sarah, and I ventured out to the Melrose Trading Post.  It was absolutely wonderful.  It's basically this HUGE flea market full of hidden treasures: antiques, trendy clothes, lovely jewelry.  You name it, they've got it.  Hundreds of vendors pack into Fairfax High School and set up shop.  Sarah and I spent a few hours just walking around and looking at everything.  This might be my favorite place I've seen in L.A. so far.  I LOVE it.

pretty dresser?  yes please.

"...the Christian child's book" hmmmm.

old cameras.

a sweet accordion 

pretty little sundresses 

handmade ceramics and a handmade sign  :)

guess which one I bought???

old books.

love.

in a little girl's room?  i think yes.

i wish you could see the cat on the end of the leash this guy is holding...

art.

can't go wrong with cowboy boots.

a restful, relaxing, rejuvenating day.  much needed.

"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  
Isaiah 40:30-31

Tid bits

Just some tid bits of my life here in Azusa.

Our fourth floor lobby has an incredible view of the baseball field.  So, last Saturday I  did homework for a few hours while watching a game!  

On Tuesdays I have Dgroup with a few of my lovely residents.  

The weather was crummy, so we had an indoor picnic   :)

Nicole surprised us with cookies!

My "sandwich salad."  Since I can't have the bread on a sandwich, I just order it in salad form: lettuce, pickles, cucumber, turkey, olives, pepperoncinis, mustard, oil and vinegar, salt and pepper.

Halloween cooooooookieeeeeeees (said with a Cookie Monster accent).

Katie and I are on duty together and she had a particularly juicy pear...

It was rather humorous.

THIS is my masterpiece rainstick that I made in art class.  I never thought I was artistic until I took this class and I actually enjoy art.  

Isn't it pretty?!  Fall colors are the best  :)

Anyway, I'll post more pictures later.  My goal right now is to take more pictures so I can really look back on this season of life and remember fun things that happen.  Right now, I am sitting on my futon with the window open listening to Dave Barnes and Jars of Clay do a free concert on The Lawn.  I love APU.

Rest for my soul

This weekend Abbie and I are spending time in Simi Valley with her family.
Home-cooked dinners, early bedtimes, late wake-up calls, comfy beds,
garage sale-ing, lazy afternoons, frozen yogurt.  Yes please.

I am praising the Lord for an incredible roommate to spend this time with.  I am praising the Lord because He is so faithful to give me rest in the midst of my crazy life (that I love, I might add).  This is the kind of rejuvenation that only comes from the Giver of Life itself.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  ~Matthew 11:28-31


Do you need for rest for your soul?
Run to Jesus.

beauty out of ashes

All this pain

I wonder if I'll ever find my way

I wonder if my life could really change at all

All this earth

Could all that is lost ever be found

Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things 

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

All around

Hope is springing up from this old ground

Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us


You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us


You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new
You are making me new


You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new
You are making me new

mmmmm...so good.

overflow.

So, I'm sitting here in my messy room with homework that needs to be done, a floor that is begging to be vacuumed and a bed that is beckoning me to come and sleep.  I have a schedule that demands every bit of my time be put to use.  I have people in my life that are desperate to be poured into--dead people walking all around that need the living water of Jesus Christ.  It can be slightly burdensome.

This morning I woke up with a deep-rooted hunger for the Word.  As I opened up my Bible, I turned to Matthew: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."  

~Matthew 11:28-30

As I think about my life and the day-to-day stresses, I am so convicted of my lack of trust in my Sovereign God.  His Word says that His commands are not burdensome--His yoke is light.  The flip side of that coin is that anything that is burdensome is not of the Lord.  Stress?  Not of the Lord.  Inadequacy?  Not of the Lord?  Overwhelming busyness?  Not of the Lord.  Though those things may come my way, I do not need to be burdened by them because I serve a God who carries them for me.  My Jesus carries me.

It's nearing midnight and I am listening to the laughter of my residents echo down the hallway.  I'm listening to my wonderful roommate learn a few new worship songs on guitar.  I'm rejoicing that I get to start a Bible study with the girls on my hall on Sunday night.  I'm glancing around my room and seeing pictures of my family and friends who love me and care for me.  Mostly, I'm thanking God for gifting me the role of RA.  I'm more tired than I've been in a while and yet my life is more full than it has ever been.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that God is good.

The "M-Word"

So...

I'm sitting here, on my [very comfortable] couch wondering why I'm not up being productive.  I have philosophy to be reading [Hume, Descartes, Plato, Tolstoy...the list goes on], a quilt to be sewing [that's right, I said quilt], a paper to write [due tomorrow at 4:30] and many other things too.

There's this thing called motivation.  And whatever it is, I DON'T have it.  It's been a while since I've been buddy-buddy with the "m-word."  Somehow I find myself filling my time with other things: redesigning my blog, going on adventures with friends at 11pm to look at Christmas lights, watching hilarious youtube videos with the roomies, going to In N Out with one of my friends and talking for a couple hours, cleaning, doing five loads of laundy...are you getting the picture???

You know what?  The funny thing is, I don't regret any of it.  I've had more fun than I've ever had in the midst of finals.  I've laughed more than I have all semester.  And somehow, I feel more at home here than I ever have.  Laughter is a gift from God--and sometimes we only get to experience it by throwing caution to the wind and living like there's no tomorrow.

So today, take some time to feel the wind in your hair, the rain on your skin, the sand in-between your toes.  Take time to feel the cold air send a chill down your spine.  Take time to watch the clouds drift by and form an infinite amount of shapes.  Take time to smile at a stranger or at your spouse.  Take time to watch your kids play.  Take time to listen to the deafening sound of quietness. Take time to let your ears ring from the noise.  Take time to see God in the small things.  Take time for life.

"Wherever you are, be all there."

~Jim Elliot