My bags are packed...I'm ready to go!

Ok...My bags are ALMOST packed but I am 100% ready, mentally, to hit the road and head to Colorado to meet up with 5 of my best friends!  We are all convening in Boulder, where ore friend Brittany lives, for a long weekend in honor of Sonya, our bride to be!

I haven't gotten to spend time with/see some of these girls for 2 years...so this trip is well overdue!  Our final destination is Vail.  I am absolutely SO pumped about seeing these ladies.  They are dear to my heart and I've grown so much with them...and experienced so much in life with them: middle school, high school, stories from college, my wedding (and now Sonya's!).  We've been there through thick and thin together and I'm so glad we are able to get together on this occasion to honor and celebrate one of us.

Picture of summer in Vail from vail.com

I am also really excited to be going to Colorado.  It's a state I haven't been to yet, and somewhere I've been wanting to visit.  Megan is flying in from Birmingham and driving with me.  We'll be stopping in Amarillo tomorrow night and then finishing up our drive on Thursday.  I can't wait to get into that cool mountain air, especially after the triple digit heat we've been experiencing in Texas.

Updates to come of out trip!

Many parts in one body

"We have many parts in the one body, and all these parts have different functions.  In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we are all joined to each other as different parts of one body.  So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us." -Romans 23:4-6

Tonight was my last night of a 34 week bible study.  We read through the Bible, beginning to end, in this time and it was such an amazing experience.  I know many Christians, including myself, have attempted this several times without a guide or accountability and it is simply a huge book that can be overwhelming without guidance and support.  I've learned a lot and was blessed to be in a group with some older individuals who had some great input on the Word of God.

This weeks lesson was focused on our spiritual gifts, which differ from our personal talents.  Talents are God-given, natural, a part of the created order; while gifts are received through the Holy Spirit.  Gifts are roles or special abilities, different and distinct.  They are different from the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23): The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."  Spiritual gifts can change depending on the need for that gift and are not necessarily tied to your talents.

We took a Spiritual gifts survey and I was surprised to see that I rated high in evangelism.  I guess I've always seen evangelists as in your face, blunt, and somewhat of a turn-off.  But after reading the description I was pleasantly surprised:  "The gift of evangelism is the gift of faith-sharing and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ with those we meet.  Evangelism is primarily a one-to-one or small group experience, grounded in building relationships with others and inviting them to make a decision for Christ.  Gifted evangelists do not force their faith on others, but offer relationship with God as a gift, and are ready to tell the story of God and Christ in their own lives."  I guess I felt intimidated by evangelism.  I'm not the best at approaching strangers...but this description points to relationship building before sharing your faith..and that, I think I am good at.  Of course I want everyone I know and care about to find Christ and eternal salvation.  God is amazing and loves us deeply and has given so so much to prove his love and get our love in return.

Cat and Mouse

As I've said before..I have a love for our neighbor cat Stanley, who comes to visit us a lot and just has tons of personality.  Well, yesterday I get home and Stanley is laying in the front yard under a tree...and I think she is just cooling off.  Well, after a closer look there is a small mouse right next to Stanley.  the mouse is still alive but moving slowly...obviously already injured.

What I found interesting was that Stanley wasn't attacking the poor little mouse while it was so close.  She was literally playing cat and mouse.  She would let the mouse get just far enough away to think it was safe and she would POUNCE.  I watched her do this a few times with pure fascination.  I grew up with dogs, so this behavior is completely new to me.  When I told Joshua about what I had witnessed he said this was common behavior and cats are somewhat cruel when it comes to the hunt.  So..on that note, I capture a little video of Stanley hunting.

On a separate note, I absolutely love summer and the length of sunlight we get!  Last night we were going to get a late dinner...it was nearly 9 pm and it was still beautifully bright out.  On our way home we noticed this division in the sky, something neither Joshua or I had ever seen.  There was the big line dividing the darkening sky and the lighter part of the sky.  I tried to get a good picture of this phenomenon but the division isn't quite as visible in the photograph.

Picture of sky before a little bit of editing, line in sky is somewhat visible right down the middle.

After a little bit of editing, you can see a more distinct division, like we actually saw last night!

We're approaching the longest day of the year...so I'm thrilled that we'll have a couple more days of continuing daylight.  So wonderful!

Playing catch up!

Lots of things have happened already in June..and a quick side note..I can't believe we are already half way through 2010. That is simply CRAZY!  I celebrated my 25th birthday and the day was absolutely wonderful.  my co-workers treated me so sweetly and took me out to a delicious lunch at Penne Pomodoro, this great little Italian chain here in Dallas.  They have some of the best bruschetta in town.  The day at work was followed by a wonderful evening with Joshua and our good friends Ashley and Jayson.  I chose Italian...again.  This time we went to Patrizio's and it was also AMAZING.  I had actually never been to Patrizio's but I heard very good things so I thought we should try it out.  Let me tell you, I was not disappointed.  The service was fantastic and the food was delicious...can't get much better than that.

Joshua got me some pretty sweet gifts.  He got this awesome picnic basket with place settings, wine glasses, cheese board, bottle opener..etc.  It even has a blanket and a cooler!  See picture below.

I have been wanting a new gym bag, as the zipper on mine busted a while back (and I've had the bag since 8th grade).  And being the good listener that Joshua is...he got me a bright green Puma one!  It's kind of retro looking and fits all my stuff perfectly!

My bag looks simlar to this, but Kelly Green with black piping and lettering.

Mom sent me some awesome shoes that I've been wanting and some clothes from Ann Taylor Loft.  I absolutely love the sandals and have worn them pretty much every day.

Thank you Steve Madden for these small wedges

I cannot wait to use my picnic basket.  I want to go to some of the Cool Thursdays at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.  There is going to be a Elvis Tribute this Thursday..how awesome would that be??