i played in my first ultimate frisbee tournament on Saturday and it was so fun! our team won! plus, it was supposed to downpour all day and it held off until mid-afternoon so it was great. I was very, very tired afterwards but all in all a good time.

for some reason i always feel the need to time something deeper and more philosophical in, but i can’t really think of anything. I did get this huge blood blisters on the bottom of my big toes which is kinda gross. I can tell whenever I get a pedicure the girl is thinking, “what does she put her poor feet through?” my feet are very hygenic, but i get a lot of blisters and battle scars.

OK, don’t know how it went from philosophical to feet, but what can i say…

PS: ultimate frisbee is NOT disc golf! there’s nothing wrong with disc golf, but just to clarify that’s not what I was playing on saturday. google each to see the difference.

went to Austin this past weekend at the last minute and had a great time! nice to get away and kind of the last hurrah for my siblings and I to hang out before my brother moves to Alaska this summer.

Went to The Stone for church and it was great as always! Click on Cardboard stories to see the video they showed.

This is the meaning of the resurrection! Jesus really changes lives!

Cardboard Stories from The Austin Stone on Vimeo.

http://www.klondikecontest.com/finalist.aspx

first I want to apologize…but I’ve been working on a project and this song has been stuck in my head all day! so I thought I’d let others share in the “fun.”

I’m so excited! I’m headed home tomorrow. Life’s been kinda weird since Thanksgiving, but I’m so happy to spend some family time. Our extended family is far away (another coast or across an ocean), so it’s usually the 5 of us, and I have a feeling this will be the last Christmas with the 5 of us for a while.

I think there’s comfort in the familiar. Obviously, my family is familiar, the house where I (mostly) grew up, friends I haven’t seen in forever will be around too. I’m hoping Mari and I can go for a run and it’s not too freezing cold. The past few years we’ve had pretty much the same running pace which is difficult for me. I’m not much of a ‘running buddy’ person because it’s so hard to find a comporably paced person, but who better than your little sis!

Anyway, back to comfort in the familiar. For some reason in my life as soon as I get comfortable with a place it seems like time to leave. That was great for a while, but like the last post said I think it’s getting time to establish some roots. Trust people enough to be open and vulnerable. I love the home my parents have created for us, but eventually it’s time for me to create my own.

It’s good to be rooted, but I think it’s also good to continually take risks and push yourself to become better, do better, live better, etc. I think that may be something I’ll work on. Looking for ways to strive for the best and not settle for something just because it’s familiar. It may be harder to attain or get whatever that is, but maybe it’s just that much more worth it.

So I hope you live fearlessly, passionately, and with the courage to go after what you’ve been waiting for!

I’ve really been trying to meet more girls to be friends with, and it’s happening slowly but surely. There are some girls are work that are pretty cool, and there are some others that I’ve kinda randomly met and it’s great!

I’ve moved so much and really can’t wait until I’m settled somewhere in a community. Honestly, I kind of doubt that it will be here, but for now, at least I have the time to actually get to know people and go to functions.

Louisiana is different too! There are these huts all over where you can drink through and buy a daiquiri! Like a snow cone stand with tons of flavors, but all daiquiris! There are pretty strong, so I’ve only had part of one.

And it seems pie is a big deal. So many restaurants, diners, cafes, you name it seem to be known for their pie. Being an avid lover of pie, this suits me very well. However, due to a strangely shrinking appetite of mine, I’ve been less able to save room for dessert at all! But at least it’s nice to know there are so many kind of pie available!

I still miss someone and hope things iron out soon.

So, I can’t believe it’s already December! Seems like this year has flown by, although January seems like so long ago.

One thing I’m excited for this year is to actually celebrate Christmas. Last year I had to work all through the holiday and I probably went to a dozen parades, concerts, food drives, holiday meals, random events, etc. But it’s the run-and-gun get the story and get out scenario. I even went to jail (YES) to see how the inmates were celebrating! But felt detached from the season.

It wasn’t until Christmas night, after I finished covering the inmates and a turkey frier turned fiery explosion, that I spent Christmas night at my friend Marisa’s with her family. We had chili, watched a Charlie Brown Christmas and drove through the area’s trail of lights.

There is peace in the season. I’m still away from my family this year, but at least I have a little more time to breathe and take in the holiday, and actually have the day off to spend with them! Honestly, all the cheesy festivals get a little old, but I think it all symbolizes Christ’s birth. Joy, hope, community, giving.

These posts have seemed so sappy lately, and for that I apologize. I’d like to post something funnier, somehow forced funny is even worse.

1 Blessed is the man
       who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
       or stand in the way of sinners
       or sit in the seat of mockers.

 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
       and on his law he meditates day and night.

 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
       which yields its fruit in season
       and whose leaf does not wither.
       Whatever he does prospers.

 4 Not so the wicked!
       They are like chaff
       that the wind blows away.

 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
       nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
       but the way of the wicked will perish.

psalm 1:1-6

I think from time to time, as I think of it, I want to write about people who have been in my life who have been an inspiration.  My life is kind of boring, and rather than boring you with what I ate for lunch today or if I worked out, hopefully it will be a little more meaningful.

When I was a kid there was a lady at our church who would babysit us from time to time.  Her name was Faith.  Faith always had these Chinese candies that are fruit flavored and paper-thin.  You eat one sheet at a time and as a 5-year-old it was so fun!

Faith would tell us Bible stories, probably sing songs (honestly I don’t remember much), and since our grandparents both lived either across an ocean or on the other coast, she was like a grandmother to me.  SUch a sweet countenance.

Faith and her husband (forgot his name, biblical though maybe Peter??) moved to the sSates from China.  Somehow they were able to leave,and thank goodness, because her husband spent several years in jail there for being a Christian.  At the time I had no idea but when I found out about it, it made persecution so much more real because now the persecuted Chinese had a face and a name.  As you would probably guess, Faith and (husband’s name!) weren’t their real names, but as many immigrants do, went by a more western (and this case biblical) name after moving to the States.

There are certainly so many people like this sweet couple.  But something about her countenance has stuck with me all these years, even though I haven’t seen her in about two decades.

I hope I never have to go through the persecution they did, and if I do I pray for the strength to endure.  But regardless I hope to have the poise, impact and legacy people like her have on others.  It seems to take a lifetime. 

You can bury yourself in stuff, in career advancement, in cosmetic procedures.  But I hope when I do have a family, I can relay what’s been sown in me.

last night I was sleeping but awakened to rain. falling hard. no thunder or lightning either, just heavy, pouring rain.

I think I was in a dream sequence and half asleep anyway, but I remember dreaming about whatever was bothering me was cleansed and washed away. It was really surreal. Last night was a bit rough (not going into details here, sorry) but that pounding force really helped bring peace.

We obviously can’t control the weather (my meteorologist friends certainly know that!) but it’s like God is sending little messages through nature for reassurance, hope, and confidence the next day will be better. Even if it’s not, we know He is there.

The circumstances surrounding my bad night are not gone, even though I hope they will be soon. But at least I know I can’t let that get the best of me and tear my spirit down.

I know this is all really cryptic, but I hope whatever you’re facing you see fresh, new starts are available.
There’s a postcard I saw once it says:

One of the hardest things to realize is that our someday is right now!

I hope your someday starts soon!