Wow it has been quite a while. Life has been INSANE! Looking for a new apartment,working like crazy and tons of other fun stuff going on over here. But thanks be to God I got home to Michigan this week! It was some what of a busy trip but there was time for fun and relaxation, family time and time with friends.
The top two priorites on this trip home were my friend Julia's wedding and dress fittings and such for my Best Friends wedding next July!
my bff the bride and our other best friend Ash
She found the most beautiful dress, of course I can give only this tiny little sneak peak with her and her vail on. She is going to be a BEAUTIFUL bride! I cant wait til the day arrives.
Dress shopping with two of us bridesmaids
We also took some time to go shopping for our bridesmaids dresses. Only two of us could go so we boiled it down to these two dresses for the rest of the girls. So all the girls will choose either one of these dresses. Of course this is not the actual colors but what do ya think?
We also got some great hang out time in while I was home.
We had a great dinner out to catch up and just hang
Ash and I at dinner
Jackie and I at dinner
We had a blast just chatting,laughing and catching up. These girls and I have been friends for such a long time and it is always sooo good to just hang out with them and share time!
Lately I am really finding out how much of a true and wonderful blessing it is to have good, close friends that are just a hop, skip and a jump away! My wonderful best friend and I live five hours away from each other so you can only imagine just how often we get to see each other with work, grad school and a host of other projects going on with us. But thankfully God has given me so many sweet friends here in Chicago. I love these people so much! Over the past few months we have just been growing with each other,teaching each other,pushing each other, encouraging each other and being present and supportive in each other's lives!
True friendship is such a wonderful BLESSING! B-
I just wanted to share something that was said by the sweet Alyson Stoner recently in the days leading up to Valentines day:
I'm preparing my heart for Feb. 14th, and not in the way you may suspect. I don't have a boyfriend, I don't have a date, and I'm not looking. But newsflash: I'm not defined by my Valentine. (It rhymes for a reason, remember the phrase.) There's NO pressure to reach a certain level of "love" by the fourteenth. In fact, true love arises spontaneously and is a result of patience, respect, and honorable actions. I'm NOT required to manufacture romance, and neither are you. Truth be told, trying to create a "special" experience because it's expected, accepted, and prevalent doesn't usually prove to be the wisest choice in navigation (especially in this case). The gutsy, respectable, and rewarding path requires a different attitude, in which you prepare and guard your heart. What road will you walk? --- There are many people who are looking for love, but are they looking out for you? You're one-of-a-kind. Maybe this year you can take a step back and think about your plan for Valentine's Day. It's one day. Your future is every other day after. Be careful, be wise, and don't worry about making this holiday something straight out of a romantic comedy. I'm an actress, and I've yet to see real life play out like a movie. This year, I'm sharing all my love with family and friends; yes, there's a place in my heart reserved for a special guy, but I haven't reached that season. And I'm in no rush. -- Hope this encourages you!!! Have a good one, & speak soon… xo
Can I just say I love this girls heart, and her passion for reaching out to young people and telling them what's up,what's real, and what's legit!
Hope you all are having a great week.I am looking forward to the coming weekend! Much love
Those of you who know me know that as a theater teacher and youth group leader I really try to make sure that I am always aware of the things that my kids are watching and listening to. So about a year and a half ago I begin to hear buzz about this kid named Justin Bieber. At first I didn't really pay attention but as the buzz begin to grow I thought well I guess I better check out this Bieber kid and see what he is all about.
What I found was impressive. The boy had great talent and I thought, ok Justin Bieber yeah I guess its ok that my students like ya, your alright! Well it sure didn't stop there, The insanity only grew even more and I caught my self thinking what in the world is going on, this Bieber kid has girls all around the world screaming,crying and fainting..... WHAAAAT! We all know I was a teenage girl during the peak of the Backstreet boys fame and yes while I was and am a HUGE fan and love them dearly there surely was not any crying and fainting from me at concerts... just a lot of dancing, (I mean my friends and I were dancin' fools at BSB concerts.... but I digress, so back to Mr.Bieber)
In my theater classes we often use music in our warm-ups and Justin Bieber has made his way into our warm-up mixes quite a bit this past year, and while I enjoyed many JB tunes and thought/think he is quite the talented young man I still was not sure why little ladies all over the world were crying and fainting and just all around loosing their MINDS.
Then comes this "Never say Never" movie and at first I'm thinking to myself really,really people a documentary this is just waaaaaay to much, but of course my youth group girls talk me into taking them so Saturday afternoon me and the girls head out to lunch and a movie date to take in the "Never say Never Directors cut" movie. The theater goes dark and is filled with the shrill screams and cries of uber excited teen girls. Fast forward to the end, the girls have enjoyed the last few hours of Justin Bieber 20ft big and in 3d and I have really enjoyed learning what this kid is all about past the music,boyish good looks and infamous hair (that is no more ha ha)
I think getting a glimpse of who Justin Bieber the teenage boy is and where he came from was my favorite part. Yes this boy is CRAZY talented but what touched my heart was his compassion and kindness, and of course as a youth group leader it was really nice to have some things to take away and discuss about the role faith plays in his life and to have someone who is soooo much in the forefront of their lives right now as young people be a great example of what compassion looks like in this world today and open up the discussion to how they as teenagers can live out God's call to show compassion in their everyday lives, yes they don't have this monumental platform like Justin Bieber but they are called nonetheless by the Father to do so.
Even further we were able to have a discussion about seeking out the plan that God has for your life. God has a plan for all of our lives, he has created us all to do great things for his glory it may not be to become a teen superstar and have an international impact in the lives of teens, but its a perfect plan for us!
After seeing the movie I felt compelled to intercede on behalf of Mr. Bieber and just ask God to help him to guard his heart and continue surrounding him with people that are going to make a positive impact on his life. Give him the strength to continue to stand firm in what he believes, but also to be with his sweet Momma and to keep her strong and grounded so that she is able to continue to be the guidance and strength that he needs in the crazy entertainment business.
Oh and p.s. still not sure why all of the worlds teen girls can't help but fall apart at the mention of the name Justin Bieber but something tells me I will never know ha ha.
Yesterday was the final performance for Run-of-the-Mill an original show that was written by a wonderful friend of mine. I had the pleasure of stage managing this amazing show, and it was truly an honor!
I was brought onto the project back in October of 2010 and have seen the script and story grow and develop into the amazing and wonderful story that it is now! It has been such an amazing ride, and I have greatly enjoyed working with all of the wonderful actors and crew members.
Once in a while those stories come along that touch your heart and really speak of the human condition and this show was one of those. A story that follows the average American middle class family in their every day life experiencing extraordinary circumstances! This was indeed a wonderful experience I am forever grateful to have been a part of it!
My heart is overwhelmed by the amazing love and respect that was shared between all that worked on this project and I am so very proud of Tyler for writing such a beautiful show! Now a little break!
Last Sunday some sweet friends from church had a little get together after church to watch the Chicago Bears game and just have a great time of fun and fellowship. The game ended up being a bust. While our defense played a great game the offense.... not so much. A lot of us ended up going upstairs and chatting and just enjoying each others company,then we decided to watch "Elf" (I love that movie ha ha.)
I just love when we have these times of fellowship it reminds me just how much I love my church family and how much I appreciate their presence in my life. Being a young single girl here in Chicago on my own its soooo nice to have that support system behind you, and to know that you have people who love you and want the best for you, who take care of you and make you feel loved and cared for!
In my last post I talked a little about the band Luminate and how much I love their worshipful hearts and their worship-filled music.So today I just wanted to take the time and share with you one of my favorite songs by Luminate. The song is called "Come Home"
Your best friends with the word regret
Your afraid that your life's been waisted
So why hope if it's only gonna let you down?
You don't think people really change
Your a mess and you'll always be the same
And you doubt if you'll ever get it turned around
Chorus
So (I know) you've been running, searching for something
But you're looking in a place you don't belong
But it's never to late, you can't outrun grace
No, Mercy doesn't care what you've done
Come Home
(Oh, Oh, Oh Oh)
Come Home
(Oh, Oh, Oh Oh)
Verse 2
You can try to fix your broken empire
Put bricks on a cracked foundation
But you'll be building castles on the sand
There's power in the blood of Jesus
Your father's screaming Just Come Home!
He's reaching out His hands
Bridge
From the shadows , From the wrong roads
From the darkness, From the unknown
To redemption, Something beautiful
To a new love, to new home
I just LOVE this song. It reminds me that in those times when I get lost and caught up in things that I need not be my heavenly Father is there just crying out to me,calling me back home to him. It reminds me where my focus needs to be, always on him because if its not I fall and I sink. It also reminds me that his strength is made prefect in my weakness, in those times when I feel like I cant do something I need to step back and remember yes I cant do this but my Father in Heaven you bet your butt he can!
I hope you will take a moment and listen to this song. I know it will speak to your heart because we have all had those times in life where we wonder away from God be it in little ways of BIG ways,but whatever the case may be we have wondered and he is calling us back to him, back HOME!
A little extra bonus video I want to share with you this is the lead singer of Luminate talking about the meaning behind this amazing song:
follower of christ the savior who gives me life, daughter,sister,friend,
michigander,and now chicagoian,scrapbooker,lover of good books,dog owner and lover,and beach lover!
