It's Not About Me

I think I am on the brink of discovering something wonderful.  Before, I've thought, "How can I serve?", "How can I help?" but with the emphasis more on my self than on helping others.  Was I really doing it for their sake?  Or did it become all about ME telling my story or ME sharing what I know?

The discovery isn't a new one but it sure is profound: People want to be understood and listened to.  They want others to take interest in their life. If I stop in my day and actually just listen to what they have to say, they actually want to talk about their lives!

Simple concept, but more meaningful than ever before.

Faithful

Sometimes I doubt the Lord's faithfulness to me.  I sometimes doubt that He has saved me and that I am His child.  Let me encourage you with what truths I clung to this summer while I wrestled with this. 

"For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. " Psalm 86:8

"Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?" Ezekiel 33:11

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." 2 Peter 3:9

With all of these being said, we can trust that God wants us to be His children.  He is FAITHFUL to forgive us. He is not someone leering over us just waiting for us to mess up so that He can unleash pent up anger.  He wants us to come to Him to receive forgiveness. As my pastor said, God is more ready to give us forgiveness than we are ready to ask for His forgiveness. 

" I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me." Psalm 77:1

...........................

Today, I remembered my past and how God yanked me out of my ways.  He showed me that my disobedience to Him was empty and only leading to destruction.  Most of the time I didn't ask for God to show me that.  I would have continued on my reckless path if he didn't crush my plans or show me my disobedience.  So today, I will be thankful.  

"I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old." Psalm 77:11

"Hide Ya Kids"

This week is perhaps nothing short of strange.  Do you ever have an event in life that seems to slow down time? 

On Saturday afternoon before the Iron Bowl, I was debating on going hunting with my brother or dad.  The cell service is really bad there, but I had received an unknown voicemail from Auburn.  After listening, I called the Auburn Police Department back to hear that my apartment had been broken into and I needed to come to Auburn sooner than I had planned to file a report.  My safe little Auburn apartment?  Suddenly the place where I've lived for 3 years doesn't feel so safe anymore. I came back to the door kicked in and unable to close unless I locked it.  My neighbors were the ones that came back to their apartment broken into and got the police to contact me.  Once I came back to Auburn (my mom was really sweet and came up with me), we scouted out the place. The majority of containers in my closet had been flipped over and my clothes and a few shoes were scattered in the bottom of my closet.  They looked through my desk drawers and also through my shirts, pants, and socks in an attempt to find money or jewelry.  It feels eerie to come back to your things scattered about, drawers opened, and looked through- not how you left them before break.  It just seems so strange that someone would break in through my front door (exposed to lights) and then tote a TV to the bottom of the stairs. The possibility of them coming back while I am in my place really freaks me out.  SO, Auburn students- take all of your things with you when you are gone. 

While I am still a bit anxious, the feeling gets lesser every day.  I have felt very loved through this strangely enough.  Also, I am now armed with wasp spray that shoots 27 feet. Come at me...

A Floral Birthday

It all started out with a proposal.... To take pictures with sunflowers. 

     

Jump! I'll catch you....

       So thankful for these sweet friends.

"Live While We're Young"

Courtney and I had too many study dance breaks to count back in our roomie days. So, as soon as the chance came to reminisce, we took it! We finally were going to see the band that saw us through on our most stressful times- One Direction! Are we twelve years old? Maybe. But are we a bundle of fun? Heck yes.

The night began by chowing down at the hot bar in Whole Foods. Boy, do I love that place. I know that it was supposed to be cheap because it is charged by the pound, but I got a little carried away by all of the delicious (and nutritious!) possibilities. After a good time chatting it up over the newly found goods and apple cider, we made our way to our new Atlanta friend, the Marta. This was my first experience with Marta, but apparently if you buy your tickets using cash you are given change back in gold coins. If you're like me and used a $20, it sounds like you've won the lottery. Tickled by this, I stuffed 12 golden coins in my purse and tried to keep up with the ever so fast paced Courtney. 

Once we made it to the concert after the opening act, 1D hit the stage at 9:30. Two words that will change your life: ear plugs. Every time Harry Styles was seen on the jumbotron the dome exploded with high pitched 10 year old screams. 

Best night ever. If you ever get the chance to go see 1D- DO IT! You will feel like a pre-teen and unashamed of your white girl dance moves. 

After the show, we were in a frenzy to find the quickest way back to where we parked because I had two exams the next day and an 8 am lab while Courtney had work and a longer drive than I. Technology failed us due to recent construction and we spent about an hour being redirected to find the Vine City Marta. Eventually, we found it! Frustrated by the blisters on my feet, I took on the subway barefooted. And then thought about all of the possible fungal infections I could get. 

Exhausted from our adventure to find Marta.

This was definitely the best way to start off our birthday month. Cute British/Irish fellas and got to see one of my best friends. Could it get any better?!

Team No Sleep

I was unable to fall asleep at my normal grandma hour of 10:00.  Our neighbors seemed to be jamming out to assorted Christian artists, which really.... there are alot worse things to complain about.  I tried to fall asleep anyway, but I could literally hear every word of Jamie Grace's new song. About an hour later, I decided to knock on the wall.

No response.

Either they couldn't hear me, or they were dead.  My roommate and I proceeded to bang on the wall with shoes.  After hearing no one's voice, we decided to knock on the door.  That was probably the most logical thing to do in the first place.  Knocked on the door.

No response.

Once it became 12:30 a.m., we decided to stay at my roommate's family's house.  We didn't text them ahead of time because we didn't want to wake them.  As I rested my head on the guest room pillow, the family's dog began to bark.   My roommate's parents had no idea we were in the house, so they were alarmed by the bark of Balto, the guard dog. After my roommate went to introduce the dog to me so that he wouldn't be on edge and telling the parents that we were there and not robbers, we were finally able to fall asleep. 

After church this morning, we decided to meet our neighbors and express our concerns. 

"Hi, I'm your neighbor, Devin.  Were you home last night?  We heard loud music but couldn't get your attention. "

The neighbor, confused as to why we were standing at his door, replied "I wasn't.  Actually my cat likes to turn the music on sometimes.  It was blaring when I came back this morning, he likes to rock out.  Next time I'll unplug the radio before I leave. I'm sorry about that!"

"I did enjoy the worship music, though!"

"That's what he listened to?  I just learned something new about my cat!"

A Favorite Song

 All I Have Is Christ

I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still

But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross
And I beheld God's love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0vfz5lr37g
© 2009 Sovereign Grace Praise

College Cooking: Easy, Yummy, and Nutritious

As a senior in college, I am trying to keep my meals four things: cheap, delicious, healthy, and easy to prepare. Most of the time it is almost impossible to get all of those at once, but it doesn't stop me from trying! A friend and I have started to make freezer crockpot meals ahead of time. We went grocery shopping together and split the bill in half. This saves money! Plus, no one really needs 8 servings of something to eat all by themself (barf). 

This was tonight's meal: 

I should probably work on my food photography skills.

Anyways, the brown blob is beer braised "flank" steak. I got the recipe from slenderkitchen.com. I ended up using a sirloin steak instead of flank steak because it was much cheaper ($12 dollars total for 2, 1 pound servings but half is $6- also, it makes about 3 servings each). This recipe also calls for a lot of spices so if you already have them you're in luck! It calls for beer to braise it in so we bought a light one on sale for $1. For this recipe if you use sirloin, the crockpot does not need to run 8 hours on low. It was a little tough and dry- I'd say right around 4-5 hours since it's a thin cut and has also been seared for 2 mins on each side before freezing. 

The green things pictured are snow field peas. I washed them (just an individual portion), put them in a glass bowl, doused them in soy sauce, and microwaved it for two minutes with a paper towel covering. They were GREAT! 

Gotta run, college calls! :) 

Grateful

I would not believe you if you'd told me I'd be sad about leaving home after spending my summer in Andalusia. Not one bit. I guess it is kind of hard to go from the transition of "kicking and screaming" all the way from Auburn (mentally, not actually) to then enjoying my time here. I learned that my time does not necessarily have to be all planned out by me for it to be meaningful. Or spent with my Auburn friends (although I do love you dearly!). It does not have to be all of my favorite things. In the beginning of the summer, I went to see if I could volunteer with the dietitian at the hospital. Being the assuming person that I am, I judged that he was harsh. It is quite funny now to compare how I feel now to then. Now, I feel like I have another grandpa. He always treated me with honor- never did I ever feel in his way or stupid. He works hard and diligently. And never failed to ask how my day was going or what I should be doing differently this semester for school. I can't thank Mr. John enough for being gracious with his time to mentor me.

I will miss omelet days! (War eagle)

I also spent part of my weeks babysitting a year and a half old baby. It was a time where my patience was tested. I would get so frustrated when I couldn't figure out how to stop him from crying or whenever he'd pick up dog poop or whenever he'd stick his hand in an ant bed. As time went on, I started to really like our time together. I saw his personality shine and see that maybe he didn't really 100% hate me. Although at times I was frustrated, I would never trade it. I'm gonna miss that cute little blue eyed nugget. 

Lastly, this was valuable time with my family.  This could potentially be my last summer at home and it meant a lot to be able to see them every day for 3 months. I know I'll remember this summer forever!

 The first month and a half I spent here trying to pick out everything that is wrong-  just about how things are different from where I've been the last 3 years.  I had yet to get over being selfish about where I was and to stop comparing a place to another. How unproductive and unloving is that?! I was reminded that- Heck, I love these people. I love the work that The Lord is doing here even when my little brain can't see it. tonight, it is hard to say goodbye. But I am so thankful for all that I've learned. 

USA USA USA

Freezing fun at Ponce De Leon Springs.

Sophisticated.

"Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told."

Habakkuk 1:5

Rerouted Family Fun

This morning we arrived at the airport around 6:30 am, only to discover that our flight had been cancelled and we will need to fly out at 6:15 am tomorrow! Our cancelled  flight left us wondering around Birmingham today. We got to look around Pepper Place Market and took an unexpected 3 hour nap. 

Unfailing Love

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Romans 5:6-10 
 

Tell The World- Lecrae

A List of Happy Things

Welcome to a blog post pointing out simple, small, happy things over the past couple of months.

Random happy things in no particular order:



1.  Auburn in the snow.

 2.  Roxy (Even though she really doesn't like me).

3.  Wide open spaces... (cue the music)

4.  Food.

 5. Zebras with weird facial expressions.

 6.  Coffee and my new favorite place, my desk. 

 7.  An actual camel on hump daaaay.

8.  Growing herbs (or attempting, rather).

Random Mumbles

    Hello friends!  Well, summer classes have almost come to an end.  My last final is tomorrow at noon.  I am just so ready to go home for a short time and enjoy spending time with my family!  I know I haven't written in a long time- but honestly you'll want to thank me for that! haha. My attitude lately has been nothing short of whiny.  I mean, I don't really know why I've been so discontent.  I have been so caught up in this summer.  I pictured hanging out with friends all of the time, doing adventurous things, laying out by the pool, camping, and meeting tons of new people. Instead, I have been studying and working.  There really hasn't been anything bad about this summer, though.  In fact, I have gotten to hang out with plenty of people, and made a new group of friends that I am so thankful for.

     In a little over two weeks, my new roommate will move in.  I cannot express how excited I am to have a roommate again!!! I am overall just a happier person when there are people around.  Her parents moved her things into my apartment last weekend, and meeting them made me even more excited to live with her.  They were just the sweetest people, and I know that she is too.  It is so cool to see God's faithfulness.  Every single year I have worried about finding a new roommate, and God has provided me with one each year that I can call my friend.

     Oh!  I just finished my Science of Food class.  I'm really sad that this class has to end.  I loved learning more and more everyday, and looked forward to going to class.  It reaffirms my dreams to be a registered dietitian.  I can tell that alot of people are skeptical when I tell them that I'm majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics.  Many people ask, "And what do you plan to do with that once you graduate?" And honestly, I don't really know.  First, I have to get an accredited internship which is a mandatory part of the process and is very hard to get. Once I make it past that and take my RD exam, I could work as a clinical dietitian, personal dietitian, sports dietitian, eating disorder counselor, school dietitian, weight-loss, etc.  Honestly, I think I would be happy with any of these jobs.  It's something where I'll get to constantly meet new people and help them directly.  That's what I want. I am currently intrigued by an internship in Minnesota... which mom tells me "Devin, that's too far away" or "It's too cold there".  She even google mapped how long the drive would be haha!!  No worries, I've got three more years at Auburn before I can even really think about where I'll be placed for an internship.

      I think I've done enough procrastinating ;) Time to get back to studying.  Thanks for listening to my mumbles :)

"Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things." 

Philippians 4: 4-8

     

    

    

Catching Up

     Hello friends!  I feel like it's a really rare moment when I publish a blog; I actually have started to write around 10 posts, but I never finish them.  I normally end up writing a paragraph and then decide to delete it because it doesn't have enough "sparkle".  But today I was reminded that life isn't all sparkles, you know?  Not every moment of a person's day/week/month has to be interesting... however, I have decided I'm not going to let that discourage me from writing!  :)

     This last weekend I finally got to go home for the first time this semester.  I didn't hang out with anyone except for my family the entire time, but I didn't get bored (actually, this is never a factor... my family is pretty much always entertaining). I got to spend alot of time with my brother, which is great.  We get along so much better now that we've grown up a little bit!!  I also loved getting to see some of my extended family as well, they're great to be around! Athough I'm almost a junior in college (crazy!!!), it still hasn't become easier for me to leave home.  Maybe that's just because I never go home so I have yet to conquer that.  I'm fine once I get back to Auburn, but I hate that moment of telling my family goodbye.

Enjoy some family Easter photos!!!

      So what's going on in my life?  Nothing but straight busy-ness.  I'm still teaching exercise classes but sometimes it can be a struggle.  Tonight I had 12 people, and about 3 of them didn't want to be there.  Whenever I'd yell "freestyle!" they would shut down and laugh at me (I mean, I am a white girl that has trouble getting funky).  Bring on the laughter ;) Despite being laughed at and forgetting the choreography occasionally, I really do enjoy my job.  Especially when I see that people are enjoying it.  Tonight, there was a girl in the back that couldn't keep a smile off of her face... I could tell that she loved it.  THAT is something that keeps me motivated.  Or to see the same people come back to my class. Besides teaching two exercise classes a week, I still have my school classes.  But really, who wants to talk about those!  Except the fact that I have a portfolio due tomorrow that I haven't started on :) Yay procrastination!

     I will be staying in Auburn this summer to take classes and hopefully get a job!  If anyone knows of someone that would want to sublease for the summer, let me know.

Have a great week!! :)

    

Chocolate Celebration

     Each year, we are faced with the same sugary, lovey-dovey, predictable holiday known as Valentines Day.  This year, my roommate and I took a different approach.  Why not have a fantastic time and celebrate friendships?! We decided to deck our apartment in candles, flowers, and pictures of beautiful men (If we're being honest here... I still haven't taken those down yet). Courtney made guacamole, cupcakes, and the Pioneer Woman's "Knock You Naked" brownies. I made the sandwiches, chocolate-covered things, and cookie cakes!  Together, we had a Valentine's Day feast.  We had around 20 people show up throughout the night. It was a great time to just sit around, eat chocolate, and talk about life!  Probably about an hour and a half into the party, a random guy opens our door and realizes that he is in the wrong apartment.  I can only imagine his thoughts on the posters and all of the girls packed into our small apartment!  He apologized for being in the wrong place, and the girls asked him if he'd like some food.  His response was, "Can I really?" and he fixed himself a plate.  The he said, "I don't know what's going on here... but y'all have the right idea!" and left.  It was a good night! Thanks to everyone who came to hang-out! :) My only regret is the lack of pictures haha

 The flowers before they were arranged around the room!

 Behold the feast!

 My friend Kinsey and Zac Efron in the background ;)

      I just talked to my Dad on the phone and that always gets me thinking about when the next time I'll get to go home is.  I almost cried on the phone because I missed them, and I'm not normally an emotional person if that tells you anything! I think the soonest that I will be able to go back (last time I was home was January 6th) will be in 5 weeks.  Hopefully I can convince my family to come visit before then! :) In another news, I've been getting to hang-out with people more than normal and getting to meet alot of new people so that always makes for a great day!

I hope everyone has a great week!