a perfect shade of dark blue...

...have you ever been alone in a crowded room?

Last night I went to a wedding in Charleston to help celebrate the marriage of two of my good friends. Typically, I would've brought a girl/guy as a fake date to have someone to talk to/eat with/dance with.. etc.. but alas, I went alone. Anyway, I'm a cheesy romantic of sorts and one of my favorite things to do is to watch the groom's face when the bride makes her grand entrance. Tears filled my eyes upon seeing his love for her through his beaming smile aaand my heart melted. What a beautiful picture of Christ's love for the church and to think... that's just a glimpse of it. The ceremony was beautiful.

If you know me at all, you know that sitting still isn't exactly my specialty... so I walked around during the reception and caught up with friends from college. The most popular question of the night was.. "are you here alone?" By the end of the night I couldn't seem to shake the tone of those questions. Before I headed back home, I sat outside in the warm breeze of the night and had a lil quiet time.

I was blindsided by loneliness... but why? The relationship that I need, I have. God alone is what I need and what my soul craves. Christ longs to be what fulfills us and He does with His grace and all consuming love.

I trust Him as comforter and provider for what I need to better tell His story. As always, thanks Jesus for bringing me back to the big picture... You.

I support the AHA

Just to be clear... I watched that video I posted yesterday about 10 times and laughed each time. Something might be wrong with me.

On a completely different note:
I tend to either buy organic or AHA approved foods for my daily life. I won't push on the organic as much as I want to push on the AHA. I have to check for these things when I purchase foods to help take care of my heart. I was thinking to myself recently... I should inform my friends about the lil heart stamp of approval too because.. I want y'all to be healthy too! My hope would be that everyone would check for the American Heart Association's heart-check mark on food packaging in the grocery store going forward... to promote a healthy beating heart.
(go to this link for more details: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4973)

On a fake related note:
I think I'm shopping at the wrong store:

laughter

Today was a very heavy day.
There is a time to soak in the weight of things and there is also a respected time to laugh. You might not think this is funny but I think it is hilarious. This episode really aired.. this dramatic.. thank goodness for...

dance

so last night I saw Twitch dance live. eeeeeeeeeeeee!
Who is twitch?
This guy: (I'll upload my video from last night soon)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdcLDVZVP-s&feature=related

Today I watched a video of ppl trying to jerk & reject.. and it was painful. if you dont know how to do them - ask ppl that actually know.. otherwise your friends are just playing a joke on you! (and yes, after watching.. I'm dancing in my living room by myself doing these steps... go figure)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46BsgpnioTc&feature=related

smile like you mean it

Three great dental care items that I like:

1) Aquafresh: iso-active deep impact, whitening foaming gel.
(you know the hand soap that foams when you put it in your hands.. this is like the same thing for your mouth! it foams. brushing your teeth will never be the same again!)

2) Crest: glide comfort plus mint floss.
(it has a freshness about it and it's very soft as to not destroy your gums.

3) Listerine: total care, 6 in one antiseptic mouthwash.
(it's a purplish color.. just trust me.. go big or go home with your listerine products and I'd pick this one!)
*not shown in photo bc i only have two hands

reflect

-pic from a retreat i went on a few weeks back

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him"
— John Piper

6:52am

Over the last 4 years I've had a habit of changing my hair style/color a bunch simply because... well... it was fun for me. I'm pretty sure that I've grown out of that stage though cause I just don't have that desire anymore. It might be because I've done about everything but regardless world, you can just get used to my current bc it's my default. It is fun though to look back at previous hairventures (see above) to see what all I've done.

when you dig, dig deep.

One of my most favorite things in life = fellowship within Biblical community/ intentional conversations with others. I long for moments of authentic intimacy traced by questions about what God is doing/where the Holy Spirit is at work.

As slapstick as I can be, I have been told I have a tendency of getting deep pretty quickly in conversations. It's only because I want to know the hearts of the people in my life. I'm not ok for settling for surface banter when an opportunity for depth is at hand.

So, with that - I just want to take a second to say thank you to my lifegroup. Thanks for being willing to get deeper than you ever thought possible. Sometimes even deeper than you'd like to know you are able to go. Thanks for sharing your hearts, confessing your sins, repenting and seeking accountability within the group and for always pushing each other back to Jesus. The transformations that I see daily literally blow my mind. Thanks for being open, for listening, for being respectful, for being willing to let God use you... so.. ultimately, thank you for being the church. I've said it before and I'll say it again because God is worthy of such praise.. I am so encouraged and thankful to know each of you. God is awesome!

budget.