thanksgiving.

I love Psalm 100. When I was in elementary school I had to memorize it in the King James Version for Bible Class. So here ya go...
1Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
I had a wonderful Thanksgiving day. In the morning I met with my small group for some time of reading the Word and singing. It was good to take the time to really reflect on all I have been given through Christ and my relationship with Him. Afterwards I headed to Waynesboro, VA to have Thanksgiving with the Washburns. It was such a precious time. All the moms created a fabulous lunch, and then we just enjoyed each others fellowship - playing games, catching up on life, napping, watching YouTube videos, playing my cousins Wii, and more! It was wonderful to ALL be together for a short while. It just felt like a normal Thanksgiving...not like my last one for a little while!

I have so much to be thankful for. A loving family, with supportive parents. Incredible friends that bring so much joy to my life. A faithful God. A car here and the freedom to come and go when I need to. The gift of music and the ability to make a joyful noise! The chance to spend Thanksgiving Day with my family. A college degree. Word Of God. The ability to get warm - through heat, gloves, scarf, coats, etc. LAUGHTER. Having all 5 of my senses. Cough drops. The fellowship of believers. My computer(even though it is not working too well right now). Ability to sleep anywhere and through anything. Children - their simple faith and the way they view life. These are just a few of the things I am most thankful for. I love the fact that America celebrates Thanksgiving Day. It is the one day when everyone comes together with friends and family and takes the time to be thankful. The sad thing is that for some people Thanksgiving Day is the ONLY day they reflect on all they have to be thankful for. May we all live each day with a sense of thankfulness for all we have been given.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

caffeine please!

i have never been an avid coffee drinker. i didnt even start drinking it until college, and even then it was out of necessity. i needed the caffeine so badly because i would get between 4-5 hours of sleep a night. add that to the fact that I had little interest in any of my studies...and i just needed something to keep me alert and awake during class. since being here i have started drinking coffee a lot more. its SO COLD here that i constantly want some hot tea or coffee. and although i am getting used to waking up at 7am every morning, i am still NOT a morning person and so i need my caffeine to get me going.

unfortunately the coffee here is not too good. it kinda tastes like instant coffee so when i get the chance to have some good coffee its quite exciting. last night a group of us went to starbucks for some coffee and good fellowship. it was so nice to just sit and talk (and laugh and laugh...we do that alot here) with some great friends. no agenda, no expectations. just sharing life and enjoying each others company.

I have been reading this book by Sarah Lanier called Foreign to Familiar. It suggests the idea that every culture is either a hot climate culture or cold climate culture.

Hot climate Cultures value relationships and are big on including all people. They often communicate indirectly...they will say what they think you want to hear. And they find their identity in their family, tribe, etc.

Cold Climate Cultures value task orientation and need their privacy. They will tell you exactly what they think, not to hurt your feeling but to be honest with you. And they are very individualist.

Both Hot and Cold Climates have very different ideas of hospitality, as well as their approach to time and the planning of events. For the most part the Southern US is a hot climate culture and I am going to be moving to a hot climate culture (which I am really thankful for and excited about!) The only main difference is that the Southern US is more individualistic, we are very much into OUR rights and what belongs to us. As well we are okay to do some things by ourselves, such as shopping and watching TV. I am going to have some things to get used to when I move to Turkey. Apparently they will lie to you, instead of tell you they just don’t know an answer or don’t want to do something. I look forward to the challenge. But more importantly I look forward building relationships with the people there and sharing life with them. No expectations, no agendas :)

joys of life.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Some of the greatest joys in my life are my family and my friends. What a blessing that I get to live life with the people I love the most. They encourage me and challenge, and most of all the love me. Over the last few weeks I have had to chance to see some of those dearest to me.
Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw came through Richmond on the way to Uncle David's. I got to grab dinner with them at California Pizza Kitchen. It was so good to see them (along with Uncle David, Aunt Paula, Kari, Phillip, and Zachary)
Last week I went to Greensboro, NC for a night to be a part a commissioning service. It was a good and quick trip, and fun to get away for a bit. The BEST part...lifetime girls surprised me! So fun to see them and have them be a part of my special evening. If only Megs was there :(
So on Monday I saw Brittany (pregnant) and on Saturday I saw Brittany again (not pregnant and with a baby!) Speirs was born on Nov 14th...Britt's birthday. I was very excited that I was in Raleigh for the weekend and got to meet him and see Brittany! I had a wonderful weekend in Raleigh with some wonderful friends! I got to see a lot of people and am so grateful for the chance to catch up and spend time with each of them. Several people came to Providence on Sunday night, which was really special. Here I am with the Dempsey boys...Coleston and Rylen!

SURPRISE!!

Surprise Parties are just so much fun and can be quite intense. Planning and pulling off my mom's 50th birthday party in September was enough to due me in at times. I handled it better than this lady though. Please watch this video. All 5 minutes are worth it and just too funny!
Enjoy :)

http://www.hulu.com/watch/16388/saturday-night-live-surprise-party