Forward Motion.

I can't believe Picnik is closing. 

Hurry. Everybody rush to upload pictures 

& take advantage of the FREE

premium edits and features you've always 

wanted to try but aren't worth $24.95/month.

I must admit, I got a little sad when 

I checked my email this morning and saw that

in April, this website will be moving on.

[It had a good run.

But alas, all good things must end.]

Or move forward, rather.

No, I don't think I believe

that all good things must have an end. 

In fact, I can think of a lot of

good

beautiful

wonderful

gifts that I have been given that

are mine to keep. Not just for now, but forever. 

Namely, my salvation from the One 

who will never leave me, nor forsake me. 

Benefits of this decision to follow Him have

 kept on coming since the day I said yes.

The funny thing about relationships is,

they're dynamic.

fluid.

moving. 

I think I often misinterpret movement

for finality. Just because something 

is changing, does not mean it is over.

And if it is over, I can trust that something 

better is to come.

This is super encouraging to me as I

face a lot of uncertainty about the future.

A lot of fear about what's next. 

But fear not.

Because just as Picnik is moving forward to bigger,

better things through Google+, so is my life

as I live in transition. I'm excited for things to come. 

Hurray for forward motion.

Washed by the water

This song is a good reminder. 

Even when the rain falls.

Even when the flood starts rising. 

Even when the storms comes, 

I am washed by the water. 

Hey! I put some new shoes on.

Dating a Texan for this long

was bound to wear off on me. 

There's something about Coloradoans that 

makes them desire to dislike this lovely country state. 

We love to hate Texas for one reason or another.

& I'll admit:

I used to be one such Colorado native. 

I've come to the realization slowly, 

over my numerous trips out to the Lone Star State,

that it isn't all that bad. In fact, [I kind of love it.]

The warm weather,

the gigantic size of everything,

the southern pride...you just can't hate it 

when a Texan tells you how much they love their state

in that cute southern drawl.

& my personal favorite:

 the sweet tea everywhere you go

[even at Chipotle!]

So to commemorate my newly found love

for all things Texas, I decided to make 

a purchase while I was in Houston

 using Christmas & graduation money.

I've had my eye on a pair of boots for almost 

2 years now, and the time had finally come.

Yes, I know no self-respecting

Texan would ever wear her boots on

the outside of her pants. 

But I couldn't help myself. 

& I'm no self-respecting Texan. 

My prayer this morning.

[abide.]

I have heard this word.

I have studied this word.

But today it is new to me. 

As I consciously abide in Him, 

I am free from the power of my old nature.

In this [divine freedom] from self will, I am

F   R  E  E

to ask God for what I want, 

being influenced now by my new nature. 

& God will do it.

Let me treasure this place of freedom

through abiding in Christ-

and believe that my requests right now are heard

and will be answered. 

-roughly paraphrased from Andrew Murray

Learning.

I'm finally back in Colorado.

I wish I could say I'm excited to be back, 

but the idea of returning to Fort Collins as a graduate

terrifies me. [&the transition from shorts weather in TX

to frigid cold doesn't help either.] 

This "winter break" that I just experienced 

was much different than expected. 

In many ways it was 

longer

harder

more painful

& more confusing than I envisioned it. 

My apologies for being so vague, but 

if there's one thing I learned in the 

past year, it's the damaging

effects that can result of verbalizing

emotionally-based statements

before they have properly been processed or solidified. 

I so often nurse fleeting thoughts as 

substantial ones. 

So in an effort to not do this, I am going to

relax for once. I'm going to find peace

in the face of uncertainty, fear, and the possibility

of experiencing some major changes in my life. 

I'm going to practice being responsive rather than reactive. 

Relax.

I'm sitting in Kansas City for the night,

waiting for my red-eye flight to Houston tomorrow morning. 

Even though I've been on vacation for the past 10 days or so,

I am very much looking forward to 

this next leg of my trip. 

Maybe it's the fact that tomorrow's high is 75. 

Maybe it's the fact that I haven't quite relaxed since I left last week. 

Maybe it's the fact that my favorite person happens to be

waiting for me in that 75 degree weather. 

Anyway you look at it, I am excited. 

I could get used to this graduated thing. 

Whirlwind.

I've used the word whirlwind a lot,

 when describing my life lately. 

As I approached my undergraduate

graduation ceremony on Friday, 

I think deep down, I thought

 I would have a lot of questions answered. 

Questions like: 

[What's next?]

[Where am I going to live when my lease runs out?]

[What will my life look like this time next year?]

I realize it's been less than a week 

since I finished my undergraduate career, 

but the feelings of

relief,

anticipation, 

and excitement 

that I always thought I'd feel at this moment in time

are being overshadowed by 

uncertainty. 

It's easy for me to think "when

[insert life event] happens...I'll feel content." 

But as I stand on the other side of arguably one of the most 

monumental events in my life thus far, I think I'm

starting to realize that contentment transcends my emotions. 

It's a way of choosing to live. 

I don't know what's next. 

I don't know where I'll be living when my lease runs out.

&I don't know what my life will look like this time next year. 

But I do know what I am trying for, where my hope stands, and 

that I now have some freedom to enjoy the future. 

I am content with that. 

creations

Because I'm too tired to write about the fact that I graduated yesterday, 

[but it did, indeed, happen. More on that later]

Here is the third installment of some of the things 

I have done in the past week. 

Today's topic: 

creations. 

Besides having the bizarre experience of making a 

model of a Civil War train crash, 

I made a few things that 

I wanted to document.

one. 

[clementine candle]

This cute little thing 

burned for over an hour! 

here's how. 

two. 

[blackberry syrup, compote & granola]

[blackberries are SO CHEAP right now.]

three. 

[kale chips.]

I've made these before, but I  

am starting to think I could

persuade even the biggest veggie hater 

to change their mind.

Have you ever?

I never thought I'd make a diorama in college.

[One depicting a train crash from the civil war.]

I never thought I'd craft a tiny tree forest, 

or tiny train cars out of of foam, with dimes as wheels.

Oh, and I certainly never thought I'd do

these things at 2 in the morning, 

my 5th year in college.

But I did.

All for this boy, who needed help

for his final [honors] class to graduate. 

My life is getting more and more bizarre these days. 

ps. I graduate tomorrow.

photo booth.

I'm super busy scrambling to get everything done before graduation on Friday. 

But here's the first of a series of snapshots from my past few days.

[Daniel & Michelle's big day.]

photo booths: always a good time.