Notes

Every time I go home to visit my family in NH my phone goes missing.  Whether it's my brother playing a game or my little sister looking at pictures it's guaranteed I will have to go looking for my phone.

Sometimes I find notes on my phone from my 8 year old sister.  I discovered this one today.

Isn't she the cutest?  She's growing up so fast, but I'm so happy that I have this little reminder of her (and her spelling :-)

Moving Forward

Every day I wake up and this is the commute I face.  Scary right?  Nothing like starting your day with a serious invasion of personal space. (ok so maybe it's not this busy every day... but it certainly feels like it)

Every day I see hundreds of people vying to get somewhere... fast.  Navigating the train station crowd is usually quite a feat. Everyone is looking out for their own well-being and trying to map out their own path.  One of the things that I've noticed in my daily commute is that often times its much more efficient to stand still and wait a moment instead of pushing forward.  That moment gives you a clearer vision of how you'll get to your end goal and ensures that you don't push anyone down in the process of getting there.

I think maybe that's the same with life.  Often times we can get really busy with trying to get somewhere...fast.  I know that at times I can lose sight of why I'm actually here and what the point of all the busy-ness is.

As you've noticed I've been MIA on here for awhile.  I'm back.  I can't promise for how long.  This blog allows me to organize my thoughts and actually appreciate the journey that I'm on.  Looking forward to seeing what the future holds. :-)

Where does the time go....

Seriously... where does it go?  I can't believe Summer is almost over... I guess starting a blog in the Summer was perhaps too ambitious... Sorry I haven't kept it up in a timely manner... I have to be honest and say though... I'm not sure this brief post really means I'm going to start posting more regularly... I'm still trying to decide what I want to do with this...  I need an outlet that allows me to write and collect my thoughts (sorry you have to be privy to that)... but I'm not sure if I want my name to be attached... honestly, you've seen some of my posts so far :-) 

Anyways, all that to say, I don't have any answers... I'll be checking in and posting as the spirit moves me... hopefully I'll have a plan come Fall :-) 

Enjoy the last rays of Summer sun, the smell of ocean air ( if you're lucky enough to be near that now)eat an extra piece of watermelon and use your last spritz of SUN-IN.*

Remember stay AWESOME! 

*only do this if you want your hair to feel and look like barbie doll hair...NOT recommended

TOTAL AWESOMENESS

Truly the most AWESOME wedding entrance I've ever seen... wow!

New Day!

Recently I've been sensing God speaking to my heart that I'm entering a new day or a new season.  I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about what that means.  In a lot of ways it doesn't seem to fit with where I see myself.  It has not been the easiest season for my family and for me and when I look at my present circumstances, nothing seems to really be changing.  When I pray, however I still have this strong sense that a new day has begun.   It was during one of my "discussions" with God about this that He showed me that a new day doesn't start at dawn.  A new day starts at midnight.  Some of the darkest hours of the day take place at the very beginning of a new day.  It takes faith to believe that dawn is coming and that things are being made new.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb. 11:1

Second Best: It's just not good enough

I think my single greatest fear is living a life that is second rate or average at best...there, I've said it... It's not falling off a building... Singing the wrong words in the wrong song (been there, done that)...or a shark attack... It's looking back at my life and realizing I never fulfilled my God-given purpose.

The most motivating advice I ever received was a dare to see what God could do with my life if I surrendered it to him. I've always told God that I wanted His best for my life, not what I thought was best. That being said, I've always thought of choosing His best in terms of the "big" life decisions... where to go to school, where to work, who to vote for on SYTYCD*, etc...

Recently, I've realized that the decision to choose God's best or second best or 27th best is made in all of the little decisions that I make on a daily basis. That was such a sobering thought for me. There are so many times that I let the little things slide, but that's not what choosing God's best and living an excellent life looks like. If I am choosing God's best for me during my day to day life, I'm much more apt to choose His best in the bigger life decisions.

1 Cor. 9:24 says "You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. " (msg)

The race is won in the everyday routine. Athletes train every day so they can win. Choosing God's best in the little, seemingly inconsequential things of life is training. The race is won in the little decisions to remain faithful in the details. It's the small choices you make that prepare you for the prize.

What do your every day decisions say about you? I'm asking you, because I'm not sure I'm ready to ask myself that question. :-)


* So You Think You Can Dance (I love the title. It's got such a demeaning tone. NO! I never said that I can dance.)

Lift me up - Kate Voegele

This road is anything but simple
Twisted like a riddle
I've seen high, I've seen low

So loud, the voices over my doubts
Telling me to give up
To pack up, leave town

Even so I had to believe
Impossible means nothing to me

Can you lift me up?
Turn the ashes into flames
And I have overcome
More than words can ever say

I've been given hope
That there's a light on up the hall
And a day will come when the fight is won
And I think that day has just begun

Somewhere, everybody starts there
I'm counting on a small prayer
Lost in a nightmare

But I'm here, and suddenly it's so clear
The struggle through the long years
It's hard for me to outrun my fears

But everything that's worth having
Comes with trials worth withstanding

Can you lift me up?
Turn the ashes into flames
And I have overcome
More than words can ever say

I've been given hope
That there's a light on up the hall
And a day will come when the fight is won
And I think that day has just begun

Oh lift me up, oh lift me up
Oh lift me up, oh lift me up

Down and out is overrated
And I need to be elevated
Looking up is not enough, no
I would rather rise above, oh, oh, oh

Can you lift me up?
Turn the ashes into flames
And I have overcome
More than words can ever say

I've been given hope
That there's a light on up the hall
And a day will come when the fight is won
And I think that day has just begun


Lift me up, lift me up, yeah
Lift me up, Lift me up
Lift me up

No Escape Plan Necessary

When I was a kid I used to pray once and then confidently go about my business (of playing with dolls, of course). I never felt the need to beg or plead with God to try and move his heart. I knew that God answered prayers and that He loved me. That was all I needed.

Looking back, I have to say that I am amazed at how He always came through for me. From providing sunshine for the water park to providing wonderful, long awaited siblings.

Somewhere along the line, I grew up. I got a job. I started paying bills. I moved out on my own and I started to believe that I could handle it. Yeah, sure, of course I still prayed, but I recognized that I started to provide God with an escape plan. I mean, come on, I didn't want to be a bother. He's got more important things to do. Perhaps He has a bigger plan... and so on and so forth... and before I knew it, I had rationalized myself out of truly believing that God answers my prayers. Yes, He answers prayers, but mine.. hmmm... well... ummm...

Recently, it hit me. God is a BIG God. He created the universe, created me, controls my life... ummm... who am I to map out an escape plan for Him? I can still believe Him with a childlike confidence. I don't need to add a footnote to my prayer that says I won't hold Him liable for not answering my prayer. I can pray for big things, because He's a big God.

There's nothing that God can not do. period.

He's My Hero

Happy Father's Day to the man who was my hero long before I knew what that even meant. He's a man that practices what he preaches, lives life to the fullest, takes leaps of faith, holds on to the truth of God like a bull dog, leads courageously, loves selflessly and laughs whole-heartedly. He has been an amazing example of the father heart of God to me.

Thanks for being my Daddy!

Arlington: The Rap

Green line shout out! what WHAT!!!

Happy Friday! Keep it AWESOME!

SCL: "Making God Almost All Powerful"

Hi! My name is Hannah and I'm addicted to the blog "Stuff Christians Like". It's true. I've tried to break the addiction on my own, but I need help.

Actually, I should be honest. I don't want help. I just want more people to read it with me.

There was an AWESOME post yesterday entitled "Making God Almost All Powerful" and I have to say that I was totally convicted. I realized that a lot of times I wake up in the morning and I gotta tell you I'm not super excited about the day. I realized it's because I subconsciously am attributing more power to a number of things in my life than I am to God. I spend far too much time worrying about the "what-ifs" instead of realizing that Romans 8:28 is true. "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose. "

Check out the Stuff Christians Like Blog. Join the addiction, trust me you won't be disappointed.

Remember....Stay AWESOME!

Hammer Time!

Can you imagine if this happened while you were shopping? AWESOME!

Happy Monday!

"I wanna see that thunder roll..."

We've had some incredible thunder storms in the past few days. Yesterday I curled up in our apartment and watched the huge storm clouds roll across the sky. It's a pretty AWESOME sight to behold. I love thunder storms for a number of reasons.

First, as I was walking/swimming home from work yesterday, I realized that no matter how lost in thought you might be, when it thunders it grabs your attention. It reminds me how big God is. It gave me new found perspective. Here I was lost in thought about something and God took time to remind me.. " Hey! You know I'm bigger than that thing you are consumed with worrying about." Pretty cool.

Secondly, some of my happiest memories with my Dad happened during thunderstorms when I was little. Every time we would have a big thunderstorm, I was allowed(it was an unspoken rule... well at least in my mind) to get out of bed and find my Dad. I remember many a Summer evening on the front porch of the house that I grew up in. I would sit for what seemed like hours, safe and secure in my Daddy's arms watching the show. We would talk about how powerful God is and how the lightning was like God's fireworks, but mostly, I would just rest in my Daddy's arms. One time lightning even hit directly in our front yard as we watched, but I never felt fear, because I was snuggled in my Daddy's arms. I've never been afraid of thunder storms because of those happy moments.

Hillsong United has a new song on their latest album called "You Hold Me Now". The song is so powerful and it reminds me of the picture that I described above. You see, it's a given that there will be storms in life. Sickness happens, finances vary and we don't always understand why things happen.* Storms can beat us up... I think at times we can be so beat up by storms, that even in the midst of sunnier days, we live in fear of the next storm. If we choose to stay close in the arms of our Daddy God, we don't have to fear the storms. In fact, we can look at them as bringing positive change in our lives. Have you ever noticed that some of the most beautiful and clear weather is after a storm? And of course, the best puddle jumping comes after a storm.

p.s. For whatever reason, I've got " I wanna see that thunder roll" a la " I wanna see that tootsie roll" stuck in my head... I'm creative like that... if you don't know what I'm referring too... better for you... if you do, I'm not recommending the song... well at least not the original version.


*If you do, I'd like to know the answer.

What are YOU going to do about it?

My heart's cry is that God would break my heart for the things that break His heart. This video sums up better than I ever can the injustice we see in the world. We are daily faced a decision. We can change the channel and hide our head in the sand or we can choose to rise to the challenge. We have the choice to recognize that in our own strength, YES, we are powerless, but HE that is in me/you is greater... We have the choice to rise and say God use me to make a difference in my world. We have the choice to bring the solution to our world. It will cost us. Revolution always has a cost. The cost is far greater though if we choose ignorance and comfort. We have a choice to rise to the challenge. Do you want to join?

Happy Monday!

One of the other reasons that I started this blog was to force myself to recognize the beauty around me on a daily basis. I find that I am far too apt to go through my day with an "eeyore" mentality. Oh boy, it's Monday! Nothing good can happen on a Monday?

Ok... I feel silly typing that out loud (I'm a loud typer)... but it's true.. I think a lot of times I believe that.

I once heard faith defined as expecting the unexpected around every corner. What a difference if we actually faced our days that way. Instead of expecting normal, how about we start expecting God to show up in our daily lives? How about we start expecting the miraculous to take place? How about we start expecting God to lavish us with His love? I mean, that's the kind of God He is...right?

An offer you can not refuse...

Ok... since it's still my first week here on the AWESOME blog (positive thinking is supposed to help I've heard)... I've decided to set some ground rules... not so much rules as I'd like to make you an offer... here's the deal...

I'm going to post truly insightful, funny, encouraging things on this blog and YOU, the incredible, inspiring, and AWESOME reader will comment. Not too hard right?

I mean it's such a great deal... move over SHAM WOW... for one itsy bitsy comment you can get minutes of enjoyment in reading this blog*.... really it sells itself (that's why I didn't ask Vince to do the infomercial...well actually I asked but he's too busy with the new slicer thing... whatever)

I'd like to be honest on this blog and so from the get-go I'm going to admit my weakness. Yes, I admit... I'm needy... I lose inspiration when writing into space... I need the personal validation of comments.

What's your vice? Starbucks? Shopping? Watching endless hours of infomercials... doh! (that makes 2)

Remember... Stay AWESOME!

* unless of course you are a speed reader which then of course would make it seconds of reading fun.

Awe-SUM

AWESOME: adjective: inspiring : showing or characterized by awe: very impressive: remarkable

So I guess I should start this blog by saying that I'm not on some major ego trip. There are several reason I've chosen the title. They are listed below in no apparent order.

Uno. I say the word AWESOME too much... not unlike a valley girl.

2. I plan to post about things that I find inspiring or remarkable (oh and probably a lot of other stuff that won't fall into those categories at all)

C. Most importantly, I'm extremely blessed to be surrounded by awesome friends and family, belong to an awesome church and serve an AWESOME God! Pretty much life is awesome and I can't complain. (4x in one point... yes!)

$. I'd like to think that God made me impressively unique... just like everyone else. Hoping to share a fresh-to-death perspective that encourages you.

Remember... stay AWESOME!