i love my friends

On Monday nights, some of my friends get together to have dinner and hang out. It's a great time. Usually I can't go because I'm busy with school or Bible study, but tonight I wasn't doing either so I was fortunate enough to attend for some really good chicken salad and wontons (and now I smell like grease to prove it). My friend Lori also brought some clothes that she was getting rid of...and well, Eric and Steve thought they'd try them out and see how they fit. :) What a perfect photo opportunity! I'm so glad I carry my camera around with me.

Eric in Lori's lovely gray sweater

And Steve....hahahaha.....wow. I don't think any caption can quite cover all that is going on in this photo.

don't want to go to class

It's 1:47 and I have class in 13 minutes...but I didn't post yesterday with getting ready to play at church, so here's a few songs that I've very much enjoyed lately...

http://www.myspace.com/raylamontagne

Hannah and Trouble are my favs...the plug-in isn't working on this computer so I'm not sure if Hannah's on there...

But I like how in Trouble it says, "I've been saved by a woman"...maybe its because I'm a woman and that sounds romantic...but I think I also like that it's a vulnerable thing to say, to let another person in oh-so-deeply. I don't think that whole "saving" part is necessarily healthy per say, because as I'm learning, we as people can't save other people. Only God can do that. But I think we can assist God in rescuing each other and it reminds me of what the Biblical word for woman means - the helper/rescuer. Way to go Ray... Not to mention, his name - Ray Lamontagne - is pretty cool.

Now 1:53...have a good day! Woot Monday!

home...well, kinda

This is the water tower near Stauffer Park in my hometown of Nappanee, IN. It's also by the sewage treatment plant, the golf course, the sledding hill, and the former haunted farm I used to work. Ahhh small towns... I'm not sure if you can read it, but the slogan for my hometown is "Nappanee, Embrace the Pace" with a picture of a horse and buggy on it (I'm from an Amish town). I've always found this rather comical and amusing, but as I sit here rather late at night, I wish I did embrace a more slow pace of life more often. I mean, loving people and being a student with a job, who's also a TA, keeps one busy, but still...God continues to keep inviting me to rest in Him and not strive or prove myself. He's done that a lot this weekend. (Thanks Tim and Sue for helping!) I mean that's why I started this blog to begin with...to slow down and see beauty and alive-ness in the midst of life. So random that I happen to come from a funny town in northern Indiana where that's the slogan! Way to go Nap-town...

Very red.

We received roses from some friends a while back, and whenever we have flowers sitting by our kitchen window, I always want to take pictures of them because they look so pretty. So that's what I did...I really like the rich, red color. It makes me want to paint a room this color.

oh Daniel....

So this man is sitting in our house right now, so I thought I'd post a old photo of him: what a classic

the blessings of Lori Chaffer

Today was a rough day. I really resonated with this song...if you get a chance, try to listen to it. It's so very good.

You Will Always Hurt

by Lori Chaffer

First there was the dawn
And I couldn’t sing a song to you
Then there came the rain
But I couldn’t seem to blame you

Sometimes it rains
Sometimes it snows on you
Sometimes it sleets
Sometimes it defeats you

It’s quiet on dark nights
And you must give up the fight before long
Trust is not a game
That naive stupid people play in youth

Sometimes it rains
Sometimes it floods you
Sometimes you bleed
Sometimes you just need to make it through
Make it through

You will always hurt
You will always sting
You’re my badlands
My grand canyon
My empty stream
You’re my reservation
My second place consolation
My devastation
A thorn
A pang
A deep dark heartache
My greatest fear
A lonely tear
Hopelessness
An empty caress
An earthquake
A broken plate
Lost innocence
A cheap defense
My delusion
My confusion
A cancer
A wrong answer
A lost game
Fickle as fame
A bad critique
A glass that leaks
A fallen leaf
Talk too shallow
Ground that’s fallow
Fatal attraction
Nuclear reaction
False resurrection
Thrown election
You’re my silence
My violence
You’re a sad song
You’re a long, you’re a long, you’re a long way from home
You’re a long, long, long, long way from home

You will always hurt
You will always sting
‘Cause you won’t let go of everything
Until you’re quiet one dark night
And you give up the fight you’ve fought so long
And find that trust is not a game
That naive stupid people play in youth
And you let it rain
You let it flood
You let it drive out all the pain of love

old friends

I have been friends with these ladies for a long time. I love them dearly. I am scared to think of how different life would be without them....but God is going to take care of us.

To make up for Sat

Let's go with song lyrics in addition to it being Easter...

I struggle with condemnation. Feeling very, very, very condemned for not doing enough for God - for not getting it right, for not being a perfect disciple, for not doing more. I was mopping the floor one day, and God really used these lyrics to speak his grace to me.

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on his hands,
My name is written on his heart;
I know that while in heaven he stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the One,
Risen Son of God!

Behold him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace!

One in himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by his blood
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God

The weekend...

This Sunday, today, people who call themselves disciples of Christ celebrated his resurrection from the dead over 2000 years. But not only then! We celebrate his new life in us, and our new life in him. I love that about him...

When we were in Indonesia, Daniel shared this memory that God brought to mind from the Passion of the Christ film. It's the clip where Jesus is carrying his cross, then falls, and his mother rushes to his side. There's a flashback to him falling as a child and Mary picking him up and carrying him. It flashes back to the present as Mary lifts Jesus's chin to look at his face. He then says, "Look mother, I make all things new." When Daniel told us that story, I balled like a baby...and I still do every time I hear it!

He was dead, but defeated it, conquered it and rose up. He makes all things new. He takes the ugliness that I think defines who I am - the gossip, the slander, the stubbornness, the unforgiveness, the pride...all of it - and he turns me into something beautiful. Something I could have never have imagined (and still don't), but it's truth and it's from him.
I love that about God.

This card is from a little girl who goes to my church. "Happy Easter" with a cute bunny on the front. :) Kids are so great - they teach us so much. I also got to hold baby Alice at church tonight. What a blessing community is. I am so thankful for the community God has given me.

Delights of Spring

Strawberries are on sale at Safeway - 2 for $4. How marvelous. I really liked the bright red strawberries against the silver colander in the white sink.




Also, flowers are starting to bloom here in the desert. So amazing...poppies and daisies of orange and gold, hot pink succulent blooms, the orange trees (which smell AMAZING) and these pretty orange flowers. I think they're actually weeds....

What we went through to watch a movie

On the night of my sister's last night in town, we decided to rent the movie "The Philadelphia Story" with Cary Grant, Kathryn Hepburn, and Jimmy Stewart. It's an awesome movie. You should go rent it. But NOT from Casa because turns out, the last 15 minutes of the movie were completely unplayable due to scratches. We tried everything WikiHow said to do...toothpaste, buffing, rinsing...and it still didn't play. Ah such agony to not know the end! But luckily, some awesome guy had posted the whole movie on youtube!!! I love people...this gave me another reason to love people. Maybe a lame reason, but still another.

A grand canyon...

My family and two roommates took a trip to the Grand Canyon. We left around 9 AM from Tucson, my family in one car and my roommates and I in another, and got to the giant hole around 3 ish. We only stayed at the actual Grand Canyon for about an hour, maybe less. I felt like the pathetic, consumerist American - the one who pays $25 to see one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World and stays less than hour. The whole time I kept thinking things like, "I wish I never studied it or seen any pictures," and "No wonder the Native Americans were/are pissed we took their land. We don't really appreciate it." Being a geologist (and an American) takes a lot of the thrill and mystery out of nature.

Well then Erin, Emily and I went into downtown Flagstaff, got coffee at a place that is so natural they don't even use syrups in their coffee, just spices and sugar :( No vanilla, soy latte for me. We read Matthew about Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, and discussed how we think the word "Hosanna" should be used more often. We also read Psalm 65. It was lovely. We walked down the street in the blistering cold and got some good Thai food. But by then, none of our Flagstaff friends had called us back to lend us some floor space for the night so we headed back to my parents' hotel. But there we no more rooms...in that hotel, in the one across the street, in all of Flagstaff! Mt. Humphrey had snow and skiers were in town. Boo. So Emily called her aunt, and we drove to Phoenix to sleep there.

What a random day....here are some pictures.

they spelled my name wrong :)



a cool scene in Flagstaff

Grand Canyon - 18th-20th

Hey folks....I'll be in the Grand Canyon Tuesday-late Wednesday, so no posts, but I'll have some good pics for ya.

St. Patrick's Day in Tucson