FSW is Back for a Visit...

So exciting :) ~

and especially excited to

try growing herbs (bottom right).

It's gardening time!

Conclusion: Fun Stuff Wednesday

"For everything there is a season,

and a time for every matter under heaven."

Ecc. 3:1, ESV

As time goes on, seasons change.

Almost a year ago, I graduated from college. I went on a missions trip. I came back to my job of 5 years. I started this blog. I paid off my school loan. I saved up for and bought a car. I dropped hours at work, partly because it was the slow season and partly because I didn't think I needed all those hours (and just sometimes I feel like doing things besides working all the time. :) )

Over a month ago, I found out I didn't get the work-study job for graduate school that I had been planning on. Which means that I'm not going back to campus this summer but, rather, Lord-willing, this fall when school actually starts. It means I'll still be working at my job of now 6 years. It means I go back up to full-time hours.

When seasons change, priorities shift. And my blog is part of that. "Fun Stuff Wednesday" had its season. I enjoyed it--I got to talk about polar bears, and snow, and current projects I was working on, and my car, and our road trip, and random things that make me happy. And while all those things are good and are the result of God's blessings in my life, I want to focus my limited time on other things.

Not that you necessarily cared that much, but I wanted to explain why FSW disappeared. (Or, maybe perhaps why I didn't bother to do one today?) I'll still be counting God's blessings...but in a different format.

Happy Wednesday!

The Blessings of Bible Conference

Snippets of the fun times...

Road trip.

Moms who find good maps and sisters who help navigate.

Being grateful we were going East rather than West!

Showing my sister around my home-away-from-home as we walked around campus and ate at the snack and coffee shops.

Running into and catching up with old friends and past roommates.

Sitting with Shalin for the Tuesday afternoon session; with Karah on Thursday night.
Seeing my (practically grown-up) little kiddies I babysat for at the campus daycare center last year.

Enjoying a Reedy River picnic.

Using the dorm snack room microwave to heat up leftovers like old times.

Having a mission team reunion.

Going to Starbucks with Fiona, a freshman buddy.
Navigating my way through crazy Greenville streets (and only getting lost a couple of times. :)

Taking sermon notes in a stylish homemade book. :)

Buying souvenirs.

Coffee mug from BJ and butterfly mug from downtown's
Mast General Store flank the picture;
I bought the piano book because it has an arrangement of
"Arise, My Soul, Arise";
"Beyond all Praising" is the 2011 Soundforth CD
~ the others had songs I wanted!

And even Ivy got a souvenir. ;)

Enjoying a week of Spring but driving back in Winter--in our flip-flops, no less!

Praise God for His provision. :)

Ivy's Going Places...

So...it has a name. As of an hour ago, actually. :) Thanks for voting, even if the name wasn't on the list and was only thought of, well, just over an hour ago. :)

"Ivy" means "gift"--and I praise God for giving me what I thought I was only dreaming about. :)

The oil and other such necessities have been changed (thanks, Dad!!), and it's ready to go.

Literally.

Because my sister and I will be hopping in Ivy next week for a road trip. Very exciting. And just as exciting is our destination. Watch out Greenville--here we come! Looking forward to Bible Conference 2011! :)

Wanted: A Name

My poor car has been nameless now for a week. Since I had my fish named (after the little jelly fish on "Finding Nemo") a very, very long time before I actually got my beloved Squishy...and I had my computer named as soon as it got home...methinks I need a little help. I was all set on a name--until I got my car, and I'm not sure it actually fits this car.

So what do you think? Leave a comment with your vote!

A) Bingley (from "Pride and Prejudice")

B) Leland (from "Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye")

C) Mikey (from "Monster's Inc.")

D) your suggestion...

preferably named after something/one and why :)

Meet My New Friend...

This week's "Fun Stuff Wednesday" is the result of many prayers; many, many hours put in at work; and the blessing of God!

Before it's ready to meet you, it has to be clean...

But ta-da, my "new" '04 Chevy Malibu Maxx

I praise God--it's so much nicer than I thought I'd be able to get (afford)!

I'm just a little excited. :)

California Texts

I went through my phone the other day and in doing so, ran across several can't-bear-to-delete-them texts... My little snippets of adventure written home from California. These are my favorites...now here for your enjoyment. :)

Sunday, May 23, 11:30ish pm (in San Francisco)
  I rode a trolley standing up :)



Sunday, May 30, 1:50ish pm
  Happy Sunday :)

Wednesday, June 2, 5:15ish pm (in L.A.)
  How's it going? vbs day 2 over and good. :) we're staying w/ a nice family!


Wednesday, June 9, 12:20ish pm (in Menifee)
  Out canvassing; waiting 4 more flyers. just thot id say hi. :)


Wednesday, June 9, 3:50ish pm
  Was going 2 call but my phone and i got separated during our break time. maybe tomorrow!


Monday, June 14, 12:20ish pm (in San Diego)
  I will come home bearing gifts. :) happy monday!


Monday, June 14, 10:30ish pm
  We just felt an earthquake :)


Tuesday, June 15, 5:30ish pm (at Camp Ironwood where we helped remodel part of the barn)
  Ironwood is great--we destroyed things today :)


Wednesday, June 16, 9:00ish pm
  We just watched a desert sunset :)

Missionary Friends

I love missionaries.

Especially these ones. They were my jr. high Awana leaders. I was in their wedding. I babysat their kids. I personally support their ministry in the interior of Brazil.

What fun to spend a whole evening with them, laughing and sharing. Seeing pictures of the people and ministries we've prayed for. Hearing details about people and ministries that are hard to write out.

And I had to laugh when I found out we were the "bear-house people." The 9-year-old who was a 6-year-old the last time she was at our house remembered that part of our children-entertainment is my old dollhouse with MapleTown figures (if anyone remembers those), which are bears and foxes. And how fun that Michaela and I have the same favorites--the little brown bear and the little fox. :)

Their furlough is short and it's almost over--but I'm glad it included a stop into our little world!

Fair-Weather Friend :)

This will be the last snowy-weather post. Probably. Hopefully. But I couldn't resist at least one more. And I think it's "fun stuff"...even if most people I know don't. :)

But I give you ~ ~ the creation of a snowman:

Yesterday...

...we had a Great Plains Blizzard. High winds, low visibility, cold temperatures...

From inside a cozy little house, saying I was in one and taking pictures of it was rather fun. ;)

Snowflakes pelted against the window...the houses across the street a foggy distance away, the snow piled high on our neighbor's backyard table--and this was mid-day in a literal all-day snowfall. Er, blizzard. Just because it's fun to say we had a blizzard yesterday. :)

Dad taking a break from shoveling/plowing :)

Happy Snow Day!!

(Correction: the dates on the photos really should be 2-1 and 2-2, not 1-31 and 2-1. Oops. :)

Favorites from my younger years

Going a little different direction today...I've been thinking of some of my favorite Bible verses I used to have, from when I was starting my own personal devotional habit.

James 5:13

"Is anyone among you suffering?

Let him pray.

Is anyone cheerful?

Let him sing praise."

Isaiah 40:31

"But they who wait for the LORD

shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint."

I John 2:6

"Whoever says he abides in Him

ought to walk in the same way

in which He walked."

Hebrews 13:8

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday

and today and forever."

 

Polar Bears :)

I am not an "animal-lover" ~ I let my animal-hair-allergy get in the way of that ~ but one day when I was a little girl, I fell in love with polar bears. It's one of those obsessions that never leaves. :)

I was so excited when our zoo brought in a polar bear last year--so now I "have my own" polar bear. ;) I finally got to see him last fall when my grandma visited and we took a trip to the zoo.
 

I kinda like him. :)

I like this funky picture ;)

Thanks for giving me a polar bear, Kansas City Zoo!

January 12

9 a.m.

We thought we'd do a little trekking through the snow on this fabulously cold day to do a little shopping. :)

10 a.m.

The one good deal. 80% off clearance, 20% members discount off that...not too bad!

11:30 a.m.

I was hoping for a snowman, but sadly, it's not snowman-making snow. So I took pictures instead. :)

     

Introduction: Fun Stuff Wednesday

It's Wednesday. And you knew that...but what you didn't know is that it is now "Fun Stuff Wednesday." Perhaps if I would have realized that is what I would have named this, I would have chosen more thoughtfully the phrase I put on my photo when I was editing it. Oh well. I say "fun stuff" all the time, so it's just me. Which is what "Fun Stuff Wednesday" is about.

OneThing is about the pursuit of Christ, not about Laura Luann. But for awhile now I've been contemplating giving my blog a personal side. So welcome to Fun Stuff Wednesday! I edited my picture days ago, I've been thinking all day, "Don't forget to post..." but I never really decided what to blog. So with 15 minutes to go before we leave for church and the decision I'm posting now...you get to hear about my day.

Which consisted of sewing. (For the record, the non-working part of my day yesterday, and my day off on Monday also consisted of sewing.) I've been able to finish two dressy blouses, reconstruccted a skirt, and starting a swimming suit. The blouses involved material that was not very forgiving, the skirt involved a plan in my head and hoping the real thing would resemble the plan :), and the swimming suit was because I'm crazy--although so far it's been the easiest thing I've worked on today. :)

I have a long project list and am hoping to get ride of most of it before I lose my wind. I kinda have a love-hate relationship with sewing but right now it's more love than hate.

Happy Wednesday!