So this week has been crazy, but great! I have a few highlights for you.

.

1. Probably the biggest news for this week: Canaan and I have the pleasure of going to HAWAII this weekend. [go ahead, let your squeals out]. We are so excited! Canaan was asked to perform his very first wedding. It is for our good friendsmegan mallette [Tennessee shout out] and aaron mohle. And since we are good friends, they are letting me tag along too! We will be there from tomorrow until Tuesday morning. So we will be with the couple and their families until Saturday evening, & then Canaan and I get to explore on our own until monday evening! For those of you who know about our honeymoon drama, this will be like a REAL second honeymoon for us. Aloha! Ready for some sun & sand. It’s been a while.

2.

   got this new nail polish: lucky lucky lavender. And I am loving it! It’s like a little happy on my nails everytime I look down. And gets me so excited for spring!

3. have ya’ll happened to buy any navel oranges lately? If not, you should. They are amazinggg. I can’t get enough, and I am not usually a huge orange person. Go getchasome!

4. i like the thought of buying some shamrocks for the spring. What a cool concept for st. patricks day? I will probably go get some after we get back from Hawaii. Let’s see if I can keep them alive! 

5. i have been doing a beth moore bible study with some of the church ladies at good ‘ol pwood, and have beenenthralled by it. It has been such a time of growth, retrospect, yearning for the Lord’s face/Word, and repentance. We are going through the book of Daniel. It is all about rising above the world of excess we live in. it talks about the Babylonian culture we live in today, where the theme of the great schemer is making life all about “me”. The book of Daniel shows us a life that was lived with integrity and ears that listened only to the Lord’s commands, nothing else. How I pray for ears like that. earsthat learn to listen. I think the Lord made us very specifically that when we are talking, we cannot listen at the same time. And when we are truly listening, we don’t even think about interrupting to speak. I pray to remember that. that the Lord gives us everything we need, and the rest is fluff. By me saying what I have is not enough is saying HE is not enough.

6.

6. this week is spring break for most people we know. My table group has been super light, so although I know the students are having a much-needed rest, I can’t wait for everyone to come back! Last week was mini-mester for some of the kids who go to PCA [Prestonwood Christian academy]. The stories brought back from cuba, the amazon,Africa, east dallas, and internships were amazing! It feels my heart so much to see these junior and senior high students breaking boundaries to share the name of Christ. I want them to remember this feeling of serving, how it is the most joy they will ever know, and hold fast to it, so they can bring it back to use in plano. It is much needed here as well. We are the opposite of some of the places these students visited. The people they saw clung to the hope of Christ because it is all they have. The people here have everything they could ever want and see no need to be saved. But both spectrums are desperately crying out for the only void-filler.

7. Speaking of international travel, my bestie angela is in Nicaragua this week with her youth group serving the people there. The Lord always does tiny, yet huge things for us sometimes. For example, angela has phone service there, and we have gotten to see how those people live andhow beautiful the scenery is with dirt homes in the foreground. I am thankful for a friend who has such faithfulness in her Savior. Praying heavily for her trip!

Ok- that’s it. Gotta save something for next week!

the best is yet to come.

well, good news folks. this girl is officially employed! hallelujah, praise the Lord.

i will start my new job a week from tomorrow as the administrative and executive assistant for H.I.S. bridge builders. so excited!! the Lord is moving in dallas in more ways than one. to be cheesy and quote high school musical, this is the start of something new. the Lord has given me the verses in jeremiah 17:7-8...

          “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
           whose trust is the Lord.
           He is like a tree planted by water,
           that sends out its roots by the stream,
           and does not fear when heat comes,
           for its leaves remain green,
           and is not anxious in the year of drought,
           for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

also, this has been a season of learning so so much! this week commenced the new devotionals for table groups. this week focused on evangelism. the Lord always has a way of taking the confident proud me [thinking i know everything there is to know already about evangelism] and completely rocking my world! 
first of all, evangelism doesn't start on the street. it begins with believing what you will evangelize. we have to believe in what we are taking to the lost. we have to love and invest in the One we say we put our faith in. if we don't believe in the Father we worship, anyone we try to talk to will see that and not want what we say we are "all about". loving and investing looks like service to the church, discipleship, monetary offerings, a DAILY time with the Lord, worship, etc. 

"And the Spirit said to Philip, 'Go over and join this chariot.^' So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, 'Do you understand what you are reading?' And he said, 'How can I, unless someone guides me?' And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him."
acts 8:29-31

i encourage everyone to go back and read this whole story about philip. the story of such obedience and trust in the Lord. you see in the passages how keenly the relationship between philip and the Lord must have been for philip to hear the things the Spirit told him to do. oh Lord, i pray for such heartful obedience and such an apt sense of what your will is in my life and DO IT.

on that note, this was an exercise i did with my freshman girls this morning. i love this and encourage everyone in some quiet time this week to do this as well. in perspectives this week, we wrote down one word we want our year to be summarized as. my word this year will be eager. 
eager to be at the Lord's feet.
eager to listen.
eager to be a good steward with canaan and i's money & give generously.
eager to spend quality time with high school girls.
eager to work hard for the Lord's kingdom.
eager to stay in touch with friends.
eager to be a good friend.
eager to make new memories. 
eager to treat my body respectfully [eat healthier and exercise 3-4x a week].
eager to love. 

^"Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."  
hebrews 9:25-28 

 

what will your word be? 

 




ps- check this out. so proud of my hometown! 

 

a holly, jolly christmas.

christmas was so so grand. 

it was a christmas of firsts and lasts. it was canaan and i's first christmas together and the anniversary of us getting engaged. we got to be in the very place where we got engaged, which was so special. 

and it was a last in my home of 13 years. the years that i remember the most. the years where i was shaped and molded into who i was to become. the years i spent last with my dad. t was the last christmas as my mom being a "driver". an emotional, yet really wonderful christmas. knowing some things are going to change makes you appreciate what you have presently. now on to new memories!

after christmas eve services, canaan's boss & his family opened up their home to us. love the young family and their hospitality! then we got up early on christmas day and jetted to tennessee, first class style!

it was such a whirlwind of three days of being at home, and not nearly enough time for me, but the time we had there was so great.that morning we got to spend with the chapman's and see the holiday excitement of the jollys [cane's asian sisters] opening up their gifts and giggling and moving from lap to lap to take in all that was happening. that evening, we headed to the boro and did gifts and games with my family. canaan had to leave thursday morning, so we spent all wednesday with his family and then i spent the next day with my family. 
it was so so good to be with my mom, grams, & aunt shannon. we go way back together, so it was good to have some time with just them. thursday, we went to SATCO [aka heaven]. and then headed to opryland hotel to look at the lights!

                          onesie time!!

i was even blessed to see my besties for a sec! i was going to see my bestie, katie, but she had surgery that day and was zonked. but got to hang with ang and hillary! love love love what those girls mean to me and what joy they bring to my life. encouragement, life talks, Jesus moments, and not without a ton of laughing and a little dancing. =]

 alright, leaving a verse to end this post that i hope will bless you for the new year. 1 thessalonians 5:23-24. this fills up my heart SO much. our God who calls us to Him is faithful! HE will surely do it!

christmas cheers.

ok. so i am going to majorly update everyone on life is TEXAS.

- me and canaan have been married for 2.5 months now! it's gone by so so fast and has been a blast the entire time! [accidental rhyming there...] being married is fun fun fun. 
- working with the youth at prestonwood has been my favorite thing about dallas so far. love these kids and their hearts. some of the most amazing boys and girls living their lives out for the Lord! love seeing Him work like this and beyond thankful to get to witness it!
- ya'll, if you ever want to move somewhere, dallas is great. i haven't met one unfriendly person yet. it was such a blessing from the Lord to provide us with so many families that have taken canaan & i in. 
- it's 3 days until christmas and i canNOT wait to be home for the holidays! because canaan is working the christmas eve services, we are going to leave early on christmas day and fly in. this is a bittersweet christmas for me because it will be the last one in my house that i grew up in. mom is getting married to mike in february [woot woot!], so this will be the last memory of christmas in the house that has all of our family memories. the last holiday in the house where my dad was. but change is good and is of the Lord! thank goodness for new days and new mercies. it just means i will soak up all i can this time and truly enjoy it. 
- i am currently in the process of starting a new job! it's an assistant position for the president of a ministry called bridge builders. yall should check it out here! i am truly excited about this, for multiple reasons. 1) i need routine and am not the type that doesnt work. at least not yet. so a job will be really good for me! i need to feel like i contribute in that way. i will miss the impromptu visits to see canaan or have coffee with highschool girls, though! 2) this ministry is so amazing. it is about working with urban communities and turning them around for the Lord. just being there for an interview and we prayed 3 different times while touring the warehouse. so incredible! needless to say, i am super excited about being considered to join their team. 

well, that's all i can think to share this time! super general things, but wanted to catch up to now! 
merry christmas everyone!!  

some of my favorite things.

so i officially moved to texas this weekend, ya'll. i think it's gonna be a lot of fun there. me and cane are gonna have us a big 'ol adventure when i get down there. i think i'm going to wear a ten gallon hat the first week i am down there and start all my sentences with "howdy". what do ya'll think? too much?

well, moving to texas has made everything feel so real. saturday we got the uhaul and car not that full entirely full unpacked in seriously 30 minutes. big shout out to all the people who helped us to make the move not painful at all. the apartment is looking more like a home and less like the bachelor pad that it was, with black sheets and navy curtains. haha it's so neat to see how canaan and i's lives are slowly merging into one. we are both definitely nervous- nervous to not disappoint and be the best we can be for one another. which i take as a good sign because if we both are nervous about that, then we are both trying our best to be the best for one another. i am also hoping to get a job really soon. being off work for a while to get ready for the move and the wedding has showed me that i am really not one for being at home all of the time. i like my days being full and busy. i'm definitely not a workaholic, but i would like to contribute somewhere. i didn't take any pics of the apartment yet, because it's not completely settled in, but we will as soon as i get there!

ok, so on to something else i'm excited about. FALL. it is finally fall in tennessee. so stinking excited. driving back yesterday, we saw the trees slowly starting to change here. loving it. i miss the drives to knoxville only for the reason of seeing the leaves change. i love getting warm drinks at starbucks now. i love being able to wear my moccasins, scarves, jackets, flannel, plaid, and boots. i love friday night football games and having the smell of pumpkin in the house. i can't wait to decorate my new home in fall attire. pumpkins and mums are a must. tell me your favorite thing about fall! chances are , i'll agree with you. 

last thing: i got a twitter. follow me!

 

i'm backkkk.

hey ya'll! so it has officially been FOREVER since i've last blogged. but, as most of you who will be reading this will know, i am getting MARRIED and moving to good 'ol texas in a mere 2.5 weeks. yes, not months. weeks.

this has been an amazing season. i can't believe it's about to happen. not only am i getting married and becoming a WIFE, but i am moving to an entirely new city in an entirely new state. and getting a new job when i get down there. i am not sure what that job is quite yet, but the Lord is good and we will figure that out when the time comes. what i am thankful for is that my soon-to-be fiance husband [goodness, that's weird] is already down there and has been tremendously blessed with people embracing him in their loving homes. we are also blessed to have people down there we already know, which makes it feel like such a small world. so i'm so glad that becoming a new married couple isn't joined with jumping into the vast unknown together as well. canaan is established there and can therefore help me adjust. 

i'm really looking forward to:
-getting to go on a grown up trip on a plane and everything with just my man and me and have a vacation. no family. just me and my husband. what a strange feeling! am i really this old already? can i handle this? [a week in maui, i think i can manage]. 
-being able to live life with cane and experience things together. it has been so long since i have just been able to do simple things with him. it's going to be an absolute blast. 
-i can't wait to decorate our home and "nest". it's one of my all-time favorite things to do. canaan is so good about telling me to "do my thing". haha he's the absolute best. i let him handle the tech-y stuff with complete trust. and he trusts me with the decorating and arranging of the bedroom, kitchen, etc.
-getting to know my youth girls down in plano. i got to go on a mission trip back in july with canaan's youth group and get to know an AMAZING group of soon-to-be freshmen girls. i will have the honor of doing life with them when i get down there, and cannot wait. God has already blessed me more than i deserve by connecting with them. they already amaze me with their hearts. 
-texas football games. this is the only other state that takes football as seriously as i do. 
-becoming an aunt again!! one of my good good friends from college and her husband are adopting a teenage boy form belize! so unbelievably excites for this season for them. please be praying for them as they embark such a unique time of parenthood. they are also making clocks to sell to raise money for the adoption, so please help them by buying one! they make them custom, so read here to learn how to get one! yayay!

so it's coming down to the wire. pray that i can finish out the next two weeks as stress-less as the other 9.5 months were. we do not want to worry about anything. what the important thing is is that at the end of the day on october 6th, cane and i will be married. everything else won't matter. 
please pray that moving to texas this weekend will be without much hassle and go well. we are so thankful to have good, strong friends who are going to help us move on both ends- tennessee and texas. couldn't do it without them!
scripture for this season:
^"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."
1 john 4:7-12

the land of 10 gallon hats and tumbleweeds.

ok. so i saw neither while in texas. but i did see lots of boots! 
most of you know i just went to dallas for the weekend to see canaan. & boy, what a grand ol time we had! we went to the JFK museum, strolled around ikea, spent some sweet time with prestonwood youth group, ate at in n out, and toured all around dallas. so so fun! i even had an interview at prestonwood thursday. please pray for the Lord's will to be done, whatever that might be! i would love to give the details about the interview, but i want to see if something happens first. please be praying!
but prestonwood was amazing. folks, its huge. but it was so comfortable to be there. i felt instantly at home and welcomed by everyone. it was so neat to sit back and see what canaan does. to finally see where he is everyday and what his life is like there. it was great to see the Lord utilizing him and him be so passionate about it! he loves those kids, and he lets that shine from him. love it. =] saturday night, there was a youth service, and i got to help a little with the kids that came to the youth group that night. the girls i met were precious and made me miss my girls form knoxville so much! after, me and canaan went to big service after. what a good word! sunday, i got to go to the regular service and then hang out with the youth again during their sunday school time. so many kids! it was a blessing to see all of them there. please lift a prayer for their lives, that they will be changed and living for Him!
sunday morning, i got to spend some time at the church on my own, and had some awesome time with Him and in the Word. i was reflecting on the teachings i had heard that weekend. saturday night in the youth service, the youth minister chris talked about acts 3. he spoke about the crippled man and how he had begged all his life. he knew no other way. day in & day out, he begged people walking to and from the temple for money with his head held low. thats all he knew to ask for. then peter offered him something greater than gold or silver. he offered the man something in Christ he thought unimaginable- the ability to walk. he then held his head high praising the name of the Great Healer. this is so parallel to our lives. we ask the Lord for what we think is the best we can get. but then the Lord offers us the unimaginable. life. we then live our changed lives with our heads held to the sky, constantly praising our Savior. 

cant wait to go back! now, here are the pics. =]

 

me & cane at the JFK museum in dallas.

 

where JFK was shot.

 

downtown dallas.

 

wonderfullll way to start the evening.