LOST

it's true. i might be a little obsessed. but i am super pumped about the LOST premiere tomorrow night!! that's pretty much all i've been up to lately, so that's all i have to update about.

oh how i've missed thee... kate, sawyer, JACK, claire, sun, jin, john, sayid, hugo, and charlie.

goodbye 21...

so today i cross over into the world of adulthood. for the first time in my life, i feel as though this is a rite of passage that i am fighting with everything in me. perhaps it is because of the lack of uncertainty as to what this year will hold, or perhaps the feeling that expectations arise when one reaches this certain point along the journey of life. i suppose i just need to remember that there is a balance (as always) to having fun and not taking life too seriously and moving toward the more responsible things of life. it's weird because i generally feel as though i am ready for the next stage of life when it comes around. when it was time to get a car and start driving.. i was comfortable with the pile of metal and a full tank of gas. when high school graduation rolled around, i embraced the good-byes, black gowns, and a packed car ready to drive into my future life. in the last year, i have felt ready for graduation and life after college. now that it's almost here, i feel the seeds of doubt creeping in. i suppose this is the ultimate test. i'll be on my own and the world is at my fingertips. perhaps i am just being dramatic and need to chill a little. maybe part of growing up is realizing that change is a part of life, and although you can anticipate big changes like turning 22 and graduating more than little changes, life is all a constant process forcing growth and brokenness.

so here's to the first of "just another birthdays"...

perhaps i should end on a more upbeat note. some of my favorites about being 21:
valentine's day.
learning through heartache.
sadie hawkins.
dancing under the stars.
home group girls that have kept me sane.
new and old friends that i have come to appreciate more than i could imagine.
learing to live life with an open hand.
barb and elise.
a boy who is so amazing to me.
cheddars margaritas.
experiencing the restoration of the Lord.
trips to denton.
new year's.
coming to the end of myself and realizing i must rely on someone stronger than me.

2008.

it's a new year! and i can't even begin to imagine what God has in store for the upcoming months. i'm learning that there's nothing i can trust in other than the Lord. imagine that... but seriously, nothing is certain, so we just have to close our eyes, open our hands, and hold tight to Him. i can't even begin to wrap my mind around where i will be in one year, but here is an abbreviated version of my new year's resolutions:

the typical.. eat healthier. work out. (we'll see....)

cook at least one meal from a new recipe each week. it's time to broaden my horizons and practice some cooking skills!

live more SIMPLY.

recycle more!!!

continue with piano lessons. and practice.

intentionally serve and love others more and more.

and i'll leave you with these words from an old hymn:

"Lord, guide my wandering feet.
Draw me to thy mercy seat.
Not to trust but sovereign grace.
Thou only art my hiding place.

But when thy Spirit shines within.
And makes me feel the plague of sin.
And how I long to see they face.
'Cause then I want a hiding place.

Lord, Jesus, shine and then
I can feel sweetness in salvation's plan.
And as a sinner, plead for grace.
Christ the sinner's hiding place."

looking through rose-colored lenses.

i'm updating! get excited. ;)

i am currently reading a book called "The Working Poor". it's basically about the people in america that work all of their lives and are never able to rise above to end to end the cycle of poverty. it's made me think lately about my personal view of the world. i think that at this point in my life, i have a very idealized view of the world. i want to think that i can make a huge difference and fix all the problems of society. ok.. maybe not that idealized, but i do feel that i can do something. i wonder if everyone feels so powerful at some point in their lives, or if i seem to surround myself with friends that share my views. i'm afraid that i'm going to enter the world with this great ambition, only to become weary and disoriented by the harsh realities of poverty and the hardness of people. i suppose i'll just have to set my eyes forward and trust in what the Lord works through me and not allow myself to become discouraged by failure. He will work as He chooses.

sorry.. i'm boring.