the 30 Day Challenge--Day 5

Day 5 - A picture of your favorite memory.

Um...seriously?! Just one favorite memory? I don't have just one, but here is a picture of one of the coolest things I have experienced in my life!

This picture was taken in Mumbai, India last January. While I was teaching piano, the woman in the blue came into my room and sat on the floor in front of me. I asked if she was there for a lesson, and she said "no". After a few minutes of her just sitting there and staring at me, I asked again if she would like to learn to play and she said "no". I rephrased this question a few more times, and she kept saying "no", so I finally asked if she was there just to listen and she said...you guessed it..."no". 

Convinced that there was just some huge language barrier, I decided to keep teaching my student while I waited for the translator to return. While teaching, the woman just started speaking. She told me that her right arm had been paralyzed for years. I left the piano and sat on the floor in front of her. She told me how she had been to many doctors and even had exploratory surgery and they couldn't find a cause or a cure. She had met some people from my group the night before and she had heard them speaking about God. She asked if I thought my God could heal her. After talking a while about power and faith, the other students (who were in the room) and I gathered around her, laid hands on her, and prayed. 

For a while, nothing happened. I went back to teaching, the students went back to their assignments, and she continued to sit on the floor. A few minutes later, she LIFTED HER ARM IN THE AIR AND SHOUTED PRAISES TO THE LORD! He healed her! 

The room erupted in shouting and praises, so much so that the men who were in the next room came in, including the woman's husband. He looked at she and I with a very concerned look and I said "Tell him what happened! Tell him what happened!" but she was too overwhelmed to speak. She just lifted her arm in the air! He ran back out to get the other men and while he was gone, Kirk (the man in white) had come into our room and said "What happened? I saw this woman yesterday! She was paralyzed!" At that moment, I was able to snap this awesome picture of him high-fiving her no longer paralyzed arm :)

The 30 Day Challenge--Day 4

Day 4 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.

I wish I could forget the hurt that came when we lost him. This Founder's Day, it'll be 4 years, but I still cry whenever I see his picture, whenever my Dad speaks of him in the present tense (as if nothing happened), and whenever I'm at Grandma's house and she has his bedroom door closed as if he never existed. He was so respected in life, but some have disrespected him in so many ways since he passed. It's to the point where my Dad and I have to leave the room sometimes when we're with certain people because of how they speak about him (specifically, about his mental state as he deteriorated) and because of how they act in his house.

A decorated war hero, a devoted husband and father, and (most importantly) a very firm believer in Christ Jesus, Grandpa, you are sorely missed. I love you more than I ever realized while you were still with us. You are so lucky to be with Jesus right now. I am heartbroken without you, but I am full of peace knowing that God has restored and healed you and that you are free of pain and that your body is complete. 

I just wish it didn't hurt so bad to remember you...

The 30 Day Challenge--Day 3

Day 3 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

The Bachelor/The Bachelorette...makes no difference to me; I LOVE this show!!! It's hysterical and emotional and dramatic. What more could you want?!!

The 30 Day Challenge--Day 2

Day 2 - A picture of you and the person you are closest to

In each season of life, The LORD has blessed me with fabulous friends. In elementary school, it was Taryn. In middle and high school, it was Noel. In college, it was Casey. In seminary (even though we don't go to school together), it's Lauren. And if you can't tell us apart in the picture, well, that's proof positive that we're soulmates ;)

She and I met at church almost a year and a half ago. Though we met in North Carolina in our 20's, we soon realized that we went to elementary school together in Georgia (and we have the yellow 1993 yearbook to prove it!). She and I clicked like magic a few months after we met and we've been pretty much inseparable ever since (though she decided to be a grown up, save the world, play Elle Woods and up and move to Washington DC on me!). 

I love her to the moon and back! She and I are pretty much the same.exact.person. and we wouldn't have it any other way. I also am totally in love with her family (for many reasons, including the fact that they totally remind me of my own family...surprise, surprise!). Long story not-so-long, Lauren is the sprinkles on my doughnut. We've been through a lot in this past year-ish of being friends, and she literally knows everything about me. I am so thankful that God provided me with such an incredible friend. Meeting you, Lauren, and getting to know your family is what has turned this town into my "home". I love you :)

the 30 Day Challenge--Day 1

Day 1 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.

Fact 1--I love the beach, I love the mountains, I love quaint towns, and I love being the only person around, but I will never be able to live more than a stone's-throw away from the city.
Fact 2--I'm either super quiet and shy or bold and in-your-face. I haven't figured out how to balance the 2 in day-to-day life.
Fact 3--I love cooking for and entertaining a crowd.
Fact 4--I pretty much hate it when others use my bathroom. I keep it tidy and super cute for guests, but I get the heebie jeebies thinking about someone else's butt touching my toilet.
Fact 5--I think I'm more of a sorority girl now than I was when I was actually in a sorority!
Fact 6--I'm a lot smarter than people perceive me to be.
Fact 7--I want to be around children, youth, and students for the rest of my life. I love pouring into others and watching them grow and thrive.
Fact 8--I think I've learned more in the last year and a half than I have in my whole entire life. I also think that I'll be a life-long student. I can't imagine my life without school.
Fact 9--I sleep with the electric blanket on every night, even in the summer.
Fact 10--I love my car but I HATE driving. I also prefer taking my car places (like, when a group of us goes out together), but I never want to drive and I don't really like for other people to drive my car. I hate having to make that decision whenever we go anywhere.
Fact 11--The older I get, I realize more and more how finicky and particular I am. I like to act like I'm laid back and care free, but I am VERY meticulous.
Fact 12--On the other hand, I do tend to be quite spontaneous and adventurous. 
Fact 13--I think I like Swarovski  crystals more than I like diamonds.
Fact 14--It takes me longer to put on mascara than it does to do the rest of my makeup and my hair combined. If I could wear false eyelashes in real life, I totally would.
Fact 15--I'm rejoining orchestra this week. It's been 6 years since I've been on stage and I. Can't. Wait.

The 30 Day Challenge

Get excited :) I found this prompt and I will be blogging it (hopefully) regularly! Here's a preview of what's to come!

Day 1 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.
Day 2 - A picture of you and the person you are closest to
Day 3 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Day 4 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
Day 5 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 6 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.
Day 7 - A picture of your most treasured item.
Day 8 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 9 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the silliest things with.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day 19 - A picture of you when you were little.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
Day 21 - A picture of your favorite night .
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.
Day 25 - A picture of your favorite day.
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

Bowl Full of Lemons--Dresser Challenge

A Bowl Full of Lemons is doing a "21 Days to Getting Organized" challenge. I'm not doing the entire challenge because not all of the challenges are directly applicable to my space here in seminary housing, but I could definitely use some organization in my life. And hey, I do love a challenge! There are to be "before" and "after" pictures posted for each challenge completed.


The challenge on Day 6 was to organize your dresser. I also chose to organize my closet on the same day. I did not purge anything (I assume that'll come later in the challenge, though!), but I went through everything and cleaned, sorted, laundered, and organized it all! It took F.O.R.E.V.E.R.!!! but I'm glad to be starting the new year off on such a clean slate! 


I'm so embarrassed to post my "befores"! I got sick, and I was traveling for the holidays, and then there were finals and more travels, and then camp...life was a hot mess! Clearly!!


Here's my dresser before. The top of it became a veritable catch-all for my entire life...

And here it is (way) after! Just my fish, jewelry, pictures, and planner.

The "clothing portion" of the clean-up took the most time. I dumped all of my dresser drawers and gathered up all of the clothes that were piled onto my desk chair (or on the closet floor) and went through  it all. I decided what would be folded and placed in the drawers and organized those items on my bed. The stuff on the back of the bed would later be hung up. Here's the organization process..

This process let me go from this unorganized, unopen-able, bursting wreck...

...to this neatly sorted and packed piece of furniture. Ah, it's so nice to be able to immediately find stuff again! I've also moved some of my more commonly worn items (like pants, for example) out of the closet and into the dresser. It's been a huge time-saver since I only put my most frequently worn things into the drawers. Now I don't have to dig through ALL of my items in my dark closet for those daily staples.

Speaking of my dark closet...here it is before:

And (thankfully...) here it is after (ahh!! you can see the floor!!)

Phew! It took forever! But I'm so glad I did it! It really, really needed to get done :)