Life.

Oh life! Yeah, right now I am kind of lacking on this whole blog thing, but there is a lot going on! Oy! With life being a crazy as it is, I do know for sure that God is testing my trust in him. For this semester, my bible study leader had us think of one word to have as our word for the semester to keep us focused throughout the rest of the school year. My word was peace. Peace with myself, peace with school, peace with family stuff, peace with relationships of any kind, and just peace in everyday life. I have realized that I am so stressed about the future that my anxiety is acting up and then that sets off my depression and that is no good very bad, that I haven't really been focused on the present day like I should be. So, I just want to be really thankful for what I have at the moment and make sure that I am thanking Jesus for that every second that I can. Let's just say hat hasn't been the easiest thing in my life, but I can definitely feel myself growing and my confidence growing, which for me and my history, is huge. =) There have been so many ups and downs the past couple of weeks, that it is easy to thank him in the good times, but I have noticed that it is a lot harder in the tougher times and some of those times have for sure hit, whether it is financial, family things and everything going on, or just random things. So, some of the things that I am thankful for right now are definitely my roommates, the relationships I have with people, my family, my bible study family, my job, my health and just the little things that God puts in my life. =) One of my favorite verses that I have been really meditating on is:

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." -Matt 11:28-30 (The Message)

On a side note, if you ever want to get a little pick me up, babysit the Sapp girls. Well, ok, not everyone can just go babysit them, but let me tell you. This family is such a huge blessing to me and these girls can brighten any of my darkest days. Last night I was needing a little pick me up, and Nate was taking Erika out for her birthday, so I got to babysit these three. =) I took my laptop over to their house because I didn't really know how late they would be out, but then the girls wanted to watch some sound of music clips and then we played "Going Ape" (By the way, if you have children, you must buy this game. So fun!) and then we took some pictures with my webcam. Even little Aliza joined in some! =) Here are some of the fun ones!

The beautiful Sapp girls! =) Oh how I love them.