2013 Bucket List Update

Hey guys, I actually marked something off of my bucket list! Which item, you may ask? *Drum roll, please*


I participated in a 5K!


That may not be a huge deal to you. As a non-runner, that was a huge deal for me. But let's be honest, I didn't run the whole thing. Who are we kidding?

I did have lots of fun, Though!
I participated in Albany's own Color the Grove 5K. Similar to the Color Run, powdered color was thrown at the runners as we reached certain markers along the route. By the end of it, we looked like a rainbow!

The Avenger

With so much seemingly senseless violence taking place in the past couple of day, from my sister and her husband's puppy being shot in the face on Saturday to the explosions in Boston today, I keep coming back to these verses of scripture where God says He will avenge.

Romans 12:18-20
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”

1 Thessalonians 5:15

See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.

It would be so easy to turn right around and go after these people for the evil that they have done, but the easy decision is not always the best one. Instead of repaying evil for evil, we are to show them the goodness of God's love. It won't be easy, but it will be rewarded. 

This is a message to me too. I want to walk over to my neighbor's house so badly and tell him what a horrible person I think he is, but that's not what God wants me to do. That's not what He wants someone who bears His name to do. So as hard as it may be, I will let God do the avenging for me. And He will do it, He promises that He will. It may not be today or tomorrow, but a time is coming when they will be held accountable for all of the wrong that they thought they got away with. 

Instead of dueling out the punishment that you think is fit, be broken for these people. Pray for their souls. Plead with God that their hearts and lives would be changed so that they wouldn't do anymore harm. 

"Have you been on Facebook today?"

I know this is a little late, but I now have computer so I can keep up with this thing a little better (hopefully).


This year for Lent, I decided to give up social media. Well, really just Facebook and Twitter. I know what you're thinking. How did I survive, right? Let me tell you, it wasn't easy.

I gave up Facebook one time before, for about a month when I was in college. It was a struggle, but it definitely helped keep me focused on my school work. Giving up just Facebook wasn't as difficult, though, because I still had Twitter to keep up with news, sports, friends, and the like. I did miss not having Facebook chat, but that forced me to interact with friends in other ways like texting or actually hanging out.

This year, I posed to stay off of Facebook and Twitter for the full 46 days of Lent. Let me just point out, I am not Catholic, but I always try to give up something for Lent that might be taking up too much time in my life and hindering my walk with the Lord. I picked Facebook and Twitter because I knew it would be tough and that I spend entirely too much of my time checking to see what everyone else was doing and not doing anything productive with my day.

The first few days went by slowly and I tried to find other ways to fill the time I spent scrolling my newsfeeds. I downloaded a couple of games to my phone, but those didn't hold my attention for long. Suddenly, about a week in, it clicked that I was supposed to be spending that time with the Lord. Once that realization hit me in the face like a load of bricks, the pulling that I felt towards games or other apps on my phone turned to opening up the Bible or the Bible app and reading chapters of God's word. It was then that I realized the hold that these social media sites had on my life, it's the same hold that it has on many of your lives.

Now that Lent is over, I'm back on these sites but I don't feel the need to check them as often throughout the day. Partly because every time I do, someone is engaged or married.. but that's another topic. I still use Twitter to find out the latest news or sports updates, but I don't have to be glued to the feed all day to find that out.

The only thing that really got me when I wasn't on Twitter was that I wasn't able to keep up with the feed for Secret Church to know what the answers to the blanks I missed were. I seriously considered giving in a day early just for that.

Lesson Learned: these sites aren't bad on their own, but don't let them takeover your life and interfere with your walk with the Lord.

A few of my favorite things

*changing leaves in the fall
*coffee
*when strangers become friends
*sunsets that look like cotton candy
*books that take you places
*the sound of string instruments
*jumping in puddles (in rain boots)
*daffodils and daisies
*sleeping late
*good night/ good morning texts
*black sage honey from Savannah Bee Company
*snow that sticks to the ground
*Australian accents
*Cheesecake Factory cheesecake
*hugs from children
*nail polish that doesn't chip (currently, Spoiled by Wet n Wild)
*baseball season
*calling the Dawgs
*movie nights with best friends

Random Questions

1. Before you started this survey, what were you doing?Trying to get our scanner at work to cooperate. It has joined forces with the computer to conspire against me. 
2. What is the last thing you watched on TV? Boy Meets World- I watch it every morning while getting ready for work. 
3. Without looking, guess what time it is. noon
4. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time? 12:04pm
5. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? Pandora radio and cars driving past. 
6. Do you remember your dreams? I remember the crazy ones. 
7. When did you last laugh? I'm always laughing
8. What is the last film you saw? Zombieland- poor Bill Murray
9. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Realistically- Nashville, TN. Dream- Sydney, Australia. 
10. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy? A house. I don't know what I would do with the rest. 
11. What was the last present you received? My "will you be my MOH" gift from my sister. 
12. Do you like to dance? I love to dance. If it was acceptable to dance all the time, I probably would.
13. Would you ever consider living abroad? Probably not for ever, but I would love to live abroad for like 6 months to a year.
14. Type of music you like most? Tough question. I love all types of music- Rock, 70s, 80s, 90s Alternative,.. pretty much the only thing I'm not a huge fan of is Country.
15. Are you listening to music right now? Am I breathing? I don't think I'm ever not listening to music.
16. What was the last thing you bought? I ordered a necklace from Very Jane yesterday. 
17. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem? Yes, and most of the words to Canada's national anthem too... don't ask. 
18. If you could eat lunch with one famous person, who would it be? Does Brandon Beachy count as famous?
19. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Target. They get most of my money already, why not spend it all there?
20. Have you ever been in a beauty pageant? I was Little Miss and Junior Miss SCA when I was younger.
21. Is the glass half empty or half full? I always say that it's always full- partly with liquid, partly with air. Nerd alert, I know.
22. What’s the farthest-away place you've been? California state line. ...
23. Do you believe in love at first sight? No, I think you have to know a person before you can truly love them. 
24. What was the name of your first pet? The first pet that I remember having was a cat named Barney
25. Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life? Zooey Deschanel, hands down. 
26. What is the last movie that you saw at the cinema? The Hobbit.
27. Do you sing in the shower? No, the acoustics are better in my car
28. What did you want to be when you grew up? A Disney Princess or a DJ
29. Who’s your favorite Villain? The Riddler (Batman)
30. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would you go? Sydney, Australia. I have a slight obsession with all things Aussie.
31. What kind of books do you like to read? All kinds. I love Nicholas Sparks novels and some sci-fi/ fantasy a la JRR Tolkien or JK Rowling
32. What are you reading now? The Pursuit of Holiness and Emma
33. Are you a morning person or a night owl? I'm more of a middle of the day person.

2013 Bucket List

1. Learn how to play the harmonica
2. Go backstage at a concert
3. Read every book that I own
4. Meet an Aussie
5. Go to a Falcon's game
6. Make someone smile
7. See the Rockettes
8. Hold a koala
9. Go horseback riding at sunset
10. Watch the top 100 best movies of all time
11. See one of the 7 Wonders
12. Go to Disney World
13. Feed a dolphin
14. Go snowboarding
15. Participate in a 5K (color run, princess run, etc.)
16. Do something completely out of my comfort zone
17. Try a new food
18. Go to Washington, DC
19. Be in a commercial
20. Go exploring in a new city
21. Go on a picnic
22. Celebrate everything
23. Do something nice for a random stranger
24. Go to a Coldplay concert
25. Get in a cab and yell "follow that car!"