I get by with a little help from my friends.

precious new roommates.

What a crazy few weeks its been, already! I moved in just over a week ago but I feel like I've been here forever. Rush started as of yesterday, so once we make it through the week I know things will calm down... but I can't help hoping that the semester is not this crazy.

Rush is such an interesting week, a necessary evil, but really I just cannot wait to have my new little babies running around and getting invested in Chi Omega. I've been praying for these girls who are anonymous for months now, so to finally have faces to go with their sweet hearts is going to be such a blessing. I just am praying for good time management and the willingness/ability to be open and available and vulnerable with these girls. What's the point of doing something if you can't share the love of Christ in the process???

I can't wait! It's been such a fun time seeing old friends again and remembering exactly what I love about school, life in Jackson and Chi Omega.

I missed this one.

annnnd these are my roommates, don't worry.

oh and with some help.....

we finished the tshirt quilt!!!!

creating... finally!

I realized something last week that got me down a bit.. that fact that this entire summer I have yet to paint, make, or create ANYTHING. which is weird. and considering my blog is called love laugh & paint, I felt I was slacking on my tri-fold description. So I finally got back to creating!

Ever sense Kristin came to work at Shades I've been promising her a painting to accompany her new office. Her walls were in need of some love, and since she secretly wishes she was a chi o, I decided what would look better in her office than her very own owl! But not just because of chi omega, but because as I thought about her story and her journey from Union to Shades, I realized just how much the Lord has taken care of her and provided for her in this transition. Which made me think of the verse in Matthew:

"Look at the birds of the air; they do now sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" -Matthew 6:26

Our gracious Lord has cared for Kristin through this entire transition, much like He cares for me and you each day. I am so grateful for His provision and how much he cares for us. The owl was just an added bonus!

After my painting excursion, I decided to fulfill my long-term dream of making a tshirt quilt. I've been saving tshirts since high school and planning and plotting to make a quilt so I could get rid of the rest of those three huge garbage bags..... So last night, around 10:30 I began the project. Didn't really know what I was doing but figured I could wing it.

Laid them all out... note the piles and piles in the back... and sewed until about 2:30 am. Got tired so started over this afternoon... Got a little LOT of help from Ging, and finished! Well.. the tshirt part at least!

props to dad for golding up the finished project. and ta-da... we have a quilt! Well, half of a quilt. more to come tomorrow with backing and border :)

birthday round two..

This past week flew by, but in a good way.. School is finally getting closer, which seems weird. Ethan moved back to school Friday, but not before giving me the sweetest birthday surprises.

Wednesday he picked me up and took me straight to World Market where he got me this beautiful jewelry box I'd be eying... eyeing? wanting. 

After our shopping adventure, I got to open the mysterious birthday box he had brought along. Inside I found four envelopes, each with a different restaurant labeled on the outside.

I had to choose one envelope (Habanero's obviously) which contained a sequence of options that would determine the rest of our plans for the day. In addition to the date plans, I got a phone call from a different friend each 30 minutes throughout the day to sing me a birthday song. Props to Olivia who rewrote this most awesome song on her drive from Waco to Jackson. Hilarious.

At lunch I got to open the envelope and choose Bruster's for desert, so we had ice cream and went to visit our new favorite, K nation.

Next was soccer in the student building, naturally, followed by shopping at the mall and running some errands. We spent the evening with Ethan's family at his house, and had a little visitor return for birthday cake and presents. I've officially adopted her as a part of my chi omega family.

After birthday round two, we spent the next two days just enjoying the end of summer.. swimming at the pool, being lazy and eating a lot of good food. Friday I left for Jackson to meet some friends and head to rush retreat at Natchez Trace. Haley planned everything and did an incredible job. It was so fun to see everyone again and get in the rush mood... One week from today I officially head back to school and all the craziness begins. I cannot wait to get 30+ little ones, meet new friends, and finally put faces to these girls I've been praying for for months now. I am eager to see the ways the Lord allows me to invest in these girls, and to pour into their lives through the ministry that ChiOmega can be when used as one. I am so excited!!!

BIRTHDAYS ARE MY FAVORITE!!!

HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY TO ME :)

Today was such a fun day. I spent the weekend in Tuscaloosa dog/cat/fish sitting for my brother Paul. Ethan came along to visit a friend from MC and went with me to let the dogs out during the day. I got to spend the weekend with Kendall just catching up and having my best friend around, which was wonderful. I'd show you a picture but we are infamous for never taking them.. maybe next year ;)

We came home today and had a fun, chill birthday in McCalla... Tonight was birthday dinner at J. Alexander's my all time favorite restaurant, followed by ice cream and soccer, then a trip to Target. 20 has been treating me well so far. I was thankful just to have fellowship and friendship with the wonderful people the Lord has placed in my life.

Kristin came along for dinner, and it was such a fun treat to have a friend from school share a new phase of life in Birmingham. I am so excited for her to begin to feel like Birmingham is home, and we are so happy to have her here. I love that she's getting to know my family since she's been such a wonderful blessing and incredible friend in my life lately. We love her :)

The Lord has shown me a lot today about how blessed I am through the friends who care about me and love me, and the family who so generously gives me more than I could ask for.

Bo got to come home Saturday for a whole week! It was even better getting to have him here for my birthday, since he doesn't get to come home often.

20 continues tomorrow with Ethan's birthday surprise in the morning.. Have no idea what's going to happen but I'm sure it will be perfect! Life's good this decade :)

gap, frog, push...

God Answers Prayer, Fully Rely On God, Pray Until Something Happens...

All of these little acronyms have been taught to me over the years and are some of my favorite things to write in my journal. I've always been one to journal my quiet time prayers and write down the times I spend with the Lord. Although I never capture all the thoughts and prayers I have throughout the day, its fun for me to see in writing the biggest concerns in my life, the best praises, and all the little things along the way that I've been giving to the Lord.

When I get to write the ways God has answered that prayer, I love to look back on those GAP entries. Today I believe is just such an example of God's way of knowing my heart. The other day my facebook status was:

God has a way of knowing the desires of our hearts and graciously giving them when we least expect it. Don't forget God does enjoy giving you those good things that please Him!

A few days later I was praying that the Lord would confirm the calling I've felt to ministry since the 7th grade. I can vividly remember every detail of the night I felt called to the Lord, and call to full-time ministry. I was 12, the summer after 7th grade, and sitting in the balcony at Student Life Camp in Ruston, Louisiana. Joel Engle was leading the worship that week and we were singing a song where the chorus went "You are the vine, I am the branch, Jesus I'm holding onto you". Instantly the Lord just broke me and led me to the realization that those words weren't true of me. I just didn't care about what the Lord wanted I had become SO selfish, true to the middle school years. I crumpled into the realization that I had to give my life to the Lord, and not just on a daily basis, but for the rest of my life. And that was the first time I ever felt the Lord leading me to full-time vocational ministry.

For the last seven years I've planned my life around this calling. I've felt the Lord confirming it throughout the years... showing me strengths in this area, giving me opportunities to serve and do ministry, and most importantly by blessing me with the constant discipleship and ministry Shades has offered the last seven years. I picked Social Work as my major because I felt the Lord confirming that through Social Work, I could learn how to meet the physical, mental, non-spiritual needs that real life presents through individuals. Union was my number one choice for college because of the way they combine Christian faith and learning... all to prepare me for ministry.

Last semester I went through a rough time just doubting my calling, doubting my decisions in social work through some conversations I had, and feeling confused about everything. But through much prayer, many tears, and a LOT of Scripture searching, the Lord graciously reminded me that His plans for me may not always make sense to another person, but to Him they are the best plan for my life, and to be obedient and follow is all I really needed to do. So I spent the summer in South Africa doing social work with a Christian organization and remembering my passion for helping people. 

A few days ago when I was journaling my prayers, I just asked God to confirm my calling however He wanted, even if it wasn't what or where I'd be expecting. Today through some conversations and potential internships already being opened for next summer, God completely confirmed that as a direction I need to be following. I was not expecting such a quick reply, and I am still praying through the possibility just to be sure it's not me reading into anything, but I was quickly reminded of my own facebook post, and that through that God truly does want to graciously give us our desires when they are for His heart... I was blown away by that realization tonight.

Thank you God, for knowing my heart, and graciously, lovingly offering me the deepest desires... you are amazing :)