Next Week

...I will be with mi familia!!! We will all be in the same place for the first time since July. I'm so excited! The plan is for me & Andrew to fly into Atlanta on Tuesday night, where someone will pick us up (Mom & Dad?) and bring us back to my grandpa's house (which we call "The Farm") in Woodland, Georgia. We'll stay there and celebrate Thanksgiving with my family until Saturday, when we plan to head back to Atlanta somehow (Mom & Dad?) to go to the Georgia/Georgia Tech game! We'll stay somewhere that night (hopefully not on the street...) and then fly back to Austin on Sunday morning. I can't wait for a week of relaxation, stuffing my face, and being with the people I love.

William (16), Nancy (49), Bill (51), Anna (20)

Poppy (84)

All this to say, I will probably not be blogging next week because I won't have time and/or internetz. Try not to miss me too much and I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Some Updates

Hi everyone! It appears my slacker tendencies are still in full effect, so I apologize :( But I've actually been too busy to blog, so I guess that's good, right? I figured I would pop in today and give you guys some updates on what's been happening in our lives:

First of all, I'm starting to feel more settled here in Austin - yay! I'm getting better with directions, which is nice, but most importantly, I'm starting to actually do things with friends! The girls that Andrew works with have been so great about reaching out to me, as have the girls from our Missional Community. I'm SO thankful! We also recently had Becca and her fiancé over for a movie night, which was so nice and relaxing.

On a less fun note, I have been sick (or something) for about a week now. I say "or something" because everyone here has tried to convince me that's it's allergies, but I've never experienced allergies this bad. My throat is raw, my nose is running, I lost my voice, I can't stop coughing... It's miserable! I've tried a bunch of different OTC medicines, but nothing is working. Any suggestions???

Lastly, I have a new addiction/obsession/true love/whatever. It goes by the name of Game of Thrones and it is incredible. Andrew begged me to watch it with him until I finally gave in, and I'm so glad I did! Yes, it is (very) intense at times, but if you are willing to push through that, you will be rewarded with the most complicated and brilliant story probably ever created. My absolute favorite character is Daenerys Targaryen - not only is she stunningly beautiful (see below), but she is a heroine for the enslaved and a woman who is making her own dreams come true by not giving up.

Well, that's all for now, folks. It's time for me to get out of bed and start the day. Thanks for checking in! :)

Drawing Near to God

I'll admit, I'm still struggling with this whole "unemployment" thing. It makes me question my qualifications and unfairly compare myself to others on an almost daily basis, and that's no fun.

However, I try to remind myself that this has happened to many others before me, and will happen to many more in the future, so I do understand that I'm not alone.

I also know that God is teaching me some amazing things during this time... even if I don't always like to admit it. Being unemployed has taught me about humility, selflessness, and (most of all) patience.

One thing that has been very encouraging to me, for many years now, is Jesus Calling. I use the app on my phone and absolutely love it! If you are ever looking for a daily devotional, I definitely recommend this one.

Recently, I read the snippet below and wholeheartedly related to it:

Thank you to everyone who has continued to lift me up as I learn to be satisfied with God's will and not my own!