Updates

After about 12 years of super long hair I finally chopped off a foot and donated it to Locks of Love. It was really hard to get used to but now I'm glad I did it (even though I'm already taking vitamins to grow it back out). I don't need a foot of hair when someone else is bald because of a medical condition. Losing all that hair has been very freeing for me. Not just because it takes less time to wash and blow dry. But my hair made me feel like a woman. It made me feel beautiful and sexy. Without it I'm forced to work on my character and pray that God will make me beautiful.

Last weekend I went wakeboarding at Michael and Becca's one last time. Now that summer is over I'm finally comfortable enough to jump over the wake. Hopefully we can go snowboarding this winter to hang on to the feeling. Thanks so much to my wonderful friends for being so hospitable this summer.



PTL that my friend Snare is back in town. She is such a joy to be with. I hope she stays forever even though I know she will probably end up back in Cali next year. I'm also super blessed to have a new roommate. Friends have joked that we must have met on Roommate Harmony because we have so much in common. Here's a picture of the 3 of us compliments of Ryan.




After a whole lot of talk and very little action I have finally become consistent in working toward my goal of running a half marathon. I ran 3 miles without stopping on Sunday and on Monday. That's the farthest I've ever run before. It felt so good afterward that I can safely say I'm addicted.

I have been patiently waiting for an iPhone for the past year and a half. With only 4 months to go in my Verizon contract, my LG phone was submerged in water while resting in the cupholder at the front of the boat. So my choice was to either get a new Verizon phone and be stuck in another 2 year contract or go ahead and get an iPhone. I really believe this phone is a blessing from the Lord. I love it so so so much! I can listen to Misty Edwards and David Crowder on Pandora all day, check my email anytime, anywhere, get on Facebook in a split second and upload pictures taken only seconds before... the possibilities are endless. The other night I used the Bible app to search for verses on hope. It brings up a list of verses and then you can click on commentaries for each verse. This commentary on Proverbs 13:12 was particularly encouraging to me:

Proverbs 13:12

This is one of my favorite verses- "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes it is a tree of life." It sucks not having what your will come to pass. It sucks even more when it is demolished by a whole other set of plans- maybe the dream house fell through, he broke off the engagement, you lost the baby, the job was phased out, etc. Whatever it is that you hope for...when it's gone, you feel sick. It's hard to trust God when it seems that "one thing" you want so badly is out of reach... maybe even forever. But when God steps in and fulfills the desire, it not only pleases our hearts but provides sustenance for others. In other words, when I wait for God's timing and I let Him rule my life, sure, some things won't work out they way I thought they would- OR WHEN. But when I walk through the process of trusting God, His desires become my desires. And when His plans are accomplished, it has more impact than just "Oh yay, I got my way!" Instead, the process produced perseverance and faith in me. I walk in strength now. Now others can read the story of my walk and be encouraged when their own desires are eradicated. Now my life is more than just an apple I can eat. Now it is a tree that others can eat from and benefit from its shade. THIS is being the body. I don't just go through stuff for me...it is ALWAYS about what I can do to feed others.

Well that's it for now but I promise to be more consistent from now on so that each post isn't 10 pages long.