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