"Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him." Proverbs 30:5

this is what makes me smile:

the unexpected.

patience is not a virtue i often posses. :/ i'm working on it. lessons, lessons, lessons.


"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass..." Psalm 37:4&5
"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37:7

this is what makes me smile:
camp fires.

it's so frustrating to know how you should act, or feel..but not to act or feel the way you know you should. i am constantly rebuking myself lately, oftentimes in the midst of some negative thought or exclamation. i have so much  growing to do, sometimes i get almost disgusted with myself for the way that i act-or feel like acting/reacting to situations. lots of lessons being learned right now....one thing i'd really like to just learn & be done with lessons on is beating myself over the head with my shortcomings. heh. i really have a hard time tossing those things away and moving on at times. 

i think this is one reason i love working with kids so much-they are so forgiving. (even if they don't go for the "forgetting" part...which almost makes the forgiving that much more amazing.) they give second chances freely...and third, fourth, and fifth chances. :)  one of the older girls who i have in the mornings and has been with me for years, has an on going list that she keeps in a notebook that she always has with her. it is her "FRENDS and ENEMYS" list. :) i am normally in the "FRENDS" column, but occassionally, if i have need to correct or redirect her, i end up on the "ENEMYS" side for a few days. i always eventually make it back to being a "FREND" in a day or so...depending on the severity of her irritation toward me. it's kind of funny, because she has a spot where she only writes my name in each column..in pencil, of course. haha

(today i was put on the "ENEMYS" list...oops.)

the greatest commandments:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:30 &31

this is what makes me smile:

♥ 5 year olds.

i had a really insightful dream last night.
wavy fade out/in
i am standing in front of myself. i see me, the way i always see me (like in a mirror, but 3D, i can walk around myself)..i can see my physical self and my spiritual or emotional self. i think, "yep. this is me." i don't really like what i see. as i watch, chunks of me start to crumble and fall away. (from both parts of me) and i am eventually looking at a person who is somewhat similar to me, but no one i would recognize if i just happened upon her. she seems pretty chill, i think i might like to hang out with her and start to introduce myself when someone calls my name, and the other girl turns and answers. this is how others see me. totally weird feelings wash over me. i am enlightened, yet confused. this is me? as i ponder, parts of this "me" begin to crack and flake away. i can't remember what this third "me" looked like physically, and i don't remember much about the inner character, either. i only know that when i looked at this person, all i felt was love. such. deep. love. i wanted to hug her. i cried. this is how God sees me. mind-blowing in my dream...feelings of thankfulness, gratefulness, unworthiness...
then i woke up thinking i had overslept (this is becoming a shamefully common occurrence lately), but saw that it was just after 4 and so i slid back to sleep with a smile on my face, and thinking, "woah...that was deep."

after spending the day pondering this dream, all i could really come up with is that i am feeling very blessed to have had it. i fully realize that the symbolism is obvious..so obvious that i think my brain feels like i don't really need to think about it deeply at all at this moment. i am just fixated on that amazing love. i  know that the Lord loves me..because He tells me so over, and over, and over again. through His Word, yes, but also through His Spirit and the mundane, ordinary, every day blessed happenings all around me. and through the sunrise. i am cheesy enough to admit that this morning, i got teary because of it. yes, it was mind-numbingly beautiful, but i also had the overwhelming feeling that it was there so that i could see it. God made it beautiful to show me His great love for me. i feel like that sounds cocky or something, but it's how He feels about all of us, and i am really being hit hard with that fact lately-how much God loves us. me. you. the rude guy who cut me off on the way home from work. the homeless guy who sells paintings on the side of the road in shrewsbury, my grandma, your grandma, the president, jerry springer, the little kid down the road, the old man in jamaica who sells fresh mangoes on a stick....all of the people on this planet. even the ones who hate Him.
 i am struck with thoughts of His exceeding love for people at some of the most random times. one that comes to mind was the other night; i was having trouble settling down after class & was flipping through channels. somehow i landed on fox news. haha. and not only that, but it was "Geraldo At Large." HA! anyway, i stopped there because geraldo was live at the "occupy wall street" camp, and i am not sure what that occupy stuff is really all about, so i kinda wanted to see if i could glean any good info (that was a big, fat NOPE.) geraldo was walking around asking random protesters questions, and there was this guy who just kept answering, "this is preposterous!! this is preposterous!!" with a big, drugged out, incredulous smile on his face and his dirty, fingerless-gloved hands on his cheeks. i swear i felt  God say, "i love him so much."

 which brings me to my latest conundrum. i am really needing to be doing more. i feel stifled, and time-waste-y.  i KNOW God sent me to PMI and i KNOW He has a plan for this, and i am USUALLY really chill with waiting on finding out what that plan is until He is ready to reveal the next step to me..but recently i am losing my chill-ness with the waiting.
 i need to get back to that place of peace. i just keep telling myself-wait upon the Lord, amy. trust Him...He won't let you down, or lead you astray. He also won't just leave you hanging here wondering forever what He's got planned.
 i am trying to get back to that place of patient waiting...my problem here is i just want to KNOW what i am getting into. how am i going to use this skill/knowledge to glorify God? i don't think this was just an opportunity to get into a field where i will be able to make more money, and will be able to (finally) support hannah and myself. that is an excellent bonus, if things roll that way, but i don't think that's the reason He has me doing this...at least not the main reason. harumph.

i annoy myself when i start to get impatient. i think it was just last thursday that i was talking to a friend who asked me what i'll be doing when i graduated. my answer was, "i'm not really sure yet." and he said, "well, don't you think you'd better figure it out?" "i am waiting," i said. he didn't get it.
and now that i think about it, maybe that whole conversation is part of what has me so discontent with the delay in "next step info"...perhaps parts of that wiggled into my spirit and have been taking root and growing into this massive ball of "AAAAK I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! I NEED TO KNOW NOW!!!" hmmm... food for thought, there.

words which i thought reminded me of my dream:
"Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." 1 Corinthians 13:12

this is what makes me smile:
this.

the cell phone quality photo definitely doesn't do it justice, but i kind of like that...i remember how amazing it was in person. 

yaaay for new Switchfoot songs!

here's one i am really liking. :)

we are learning manual lymph drainage at school. at first, i was kind of looking forward to it because i know several people who have had problems with their lymphatic system, or who have had nodes removed. i thought it would be cool to learn about it, if for no other reason than to gain a little more understanding of what they go through.
 ...  then we started learning about it.  normally, i really enjoy learning. not so with mld. it has been super confusing and difficult to pick up because my instructor is trying to teach us something that she doesn't really know. as soon as she confessed this, things changed. it was like she wasn't trying to pretend to know everything already, and that took a huge weight off of her, and it also helped us to understand why things were not being presented very clearly.
i am back on board with learning the lymphatic system. since the big reveal, this unit has been a team learning effort. we have been going over and discussing and looking up pretty much everything that has to do with the world of lymph. investigating and doing are two of the ways that i learn best, so i'm loving this. also, it's kind of fun to teach your teacher. ;)

i just have to say again, how amazing our bodies are. God created us to work so perfectly...i am truly in awe, and fall deeper and deeper the more i learn. i love it, and i'm going to be sad when this class ends. lately, i have been feeling like a&p is like a bible study or something. i am discovering more and more how creative my Abba is, and how much i don't know...about much of anything. there are so many amazing things out there to discover..such intricate detail hidden inside of things that may seem ordinary. sigh... it's sort of hard to explain to some of my classmates why i feel anatomy class is such a spiritual experience. :)

nuggets of love for today:
 “How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number-living things both large and small.”Psalm 104: 24-25
 “Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:7-10


this is what makes me smile:
checking out how little has changed in a year.

so much.

sorting.

through.

not enough.

figuring.

out.


♥ a note from the King:
"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." Jeremiah 31:3

this is what makes me smile:
hannah.

one reason i think i enjoy autumn so much is that you can experience weather reminiscent of all the seasons in the span of one day. you can wake up (so cold!) and see frost, and by mid-day you are sweating bullets, but then a few hours later it's chilly enough for a jacket.
items in the back of my jeep that can all be(and have been) used properly on the same day:

•  flip flops
• sunglasses
• sunscreen
• umbrella
• fleece 
• vest 
• scarf
• parka

verse of the day:
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
2 Corinthians 12:9

this is what makes me smile:
rocks that look like people.

.

today was declared "mother daughter day" by my mom...it's pretty rare for her to seek me out to specifically chill with me, so i decided i'd better humor her and let her drag me around two different towns to check out some consignment stores and such. now, i love a good deal, but shopping is just not that fun when you don't have any money. heheh. still, i managed to make a few savvy purchases, and ended up with a pair of jeans, 2 shirts and a dress for han & a shirt and a fleece pullover for myself, and was down only $9.42 at the end of the day. not bad. i also saw a lot of potential for future clothing needs to be met at a few different stores, so that was good, too. 

it was nice to spend some alone time with my mom. we didn't really have any deep, meaningful talks, or anything like that...but we also managed to spend 10 hours together without aggravating each other, so all-in-all i'd call the day a smashing success. 

i think in addition to my "what makes me smile" daily affirmation, i'm going to add a verse that has encouraged me, or helped me each day. starting........NOW. :)

verse of the day:

"...you are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." 

Isaiah 41:9b-10

♥ 

this is what makes me smile:

beautiful autumn-y rainbows. 

this is what makes me smile:

getting a new toothbrush.

taco salad almost defeated me today. i was buried beneath insane amounts of cucumbers, cheese, tortilla chips, lettuce and meat....not to mention the vast number of dishes it took to try and contain all the craziness. mountains, and mountains of dishes. and salsa.
i am officially NOT a fan of taco salad day.


on a more personal note...


i have been on the down-slope lately.  i can feel the depression just clawing at the door to my spirit..trying to get at me..

 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,    my glory, and the lifter of my head. Psalm 3:3

these cycles are really irritating to me, when i am feeling fine & dandy i am really thankful, but always wondering when the next down-swing will come. i really try not to think that way. i try to just give it all to God-most of the time i fail miserably. i am doing my best to claim JOY and PEACE. to be purposefully happy & always thankful..to believe my victory and healing in Jesus' Name and by His Blood. so far, this time is better. i am hoping and praying that it will not sink in. that the empty dullness, isolation and  apathy will stay behind that door...for good. get thee behind me, o foul one. 

this is what makes me smile:
breakfast of champions.

it seems like it always rains on wednesdays.
i notice this especially because wednesday is the first evening of the week that i am home before 10pm. usually, i have things (most of the time they are outside things) that i'd like to do...but rain dampens my plans. pun intended. oh well.. :) i appreciate rain & it gives good atmosphere for reading and other cozy activities. i just think it's kind of strange that it seems to always rain on wednesdays. :)

it is my niece's actual 2nd birthday. (saturday was the fake b-day, heheh) time surely flies. she is super adorable, and very bright. my favorite moment from last weekend was when she saw her birthday balloon..it was covered with cupcakes. she said so sweetly, "oooh, i LOVE cupcakes!" hahah. and later on, when she saw what was for dinner, in the same super excited & awed voice she said, "oooh, i LOVE peas!" :) ♥

this is what makes me smile:
natural beauty.

blah blah blah blah blah..

slkoien loiems wlaomek ksnehdig

womp womp.

this is what makes me smile:
sleep.

i totally got out of a public speaking assignment today...sadly, that means i still have to "look forward to it" tomorrow. it's cool, though. i will survive. :)

super sleepy. and lots of confusing crap going on. i feel like digging a hole & just chilling out in it for a while & maybe i can get things straightened out. it totally sounds like i'm kinda feeling "bluesy" or something, but i'm not. i'm actually really happy at the moment. just...confused. i will admit, it's strange feeling out of sorts & happy at the same time, but it's also kind of cool.

anyway, enough blowing your mind with such awesome bloggyness. i'm going to bed.

this is what makes me smile:
the hills that we call mountains. :)

12,335 days ago, i was born. happy day to me. hahahaa.

most of my 12,335th day was spent in a car, travelling home from a visit to my sister's house (she is 10,905 days old today.)... actually, that is a gross exaggeration. i really only spent about 5 hours in the car (really weird, because it normally takes between 6 - 6 1/2 hrs to get between here & there), and the rest were either spent sleeping, playing with my niece, or watching the ravens beat the texans. it wasn't a bad day...i didn't even mind the drive (that is not my favorite trip to make.), probably  because there were lots of beautiful fall-colored hills & valleys to gaze out the window at. and thank goodness for the person who invented the portable dvd player. i wish i'd had one of those things when hannah was little! travelling with her was such a challenge, especially when it was just the two of us.

i had a lot of time for thinking and praying while i was gazing out the window at all that beautiful country. i sometimes wonder if i think too much. other times, i feel i don't think enough.

one other thing i did today was eat too much candy. :X i haven't been eating a lot of sweets lately, but for some reason, a car ride just doesn't seem survivable without some chewy sweet tarts or some reeces pieces. and now my tummy is not so happy with me. :/

i am really hoping that this week will be a good one. i had some challenging days last week, and i'm really praying for work to be enjoyable & fulfilling, and for school to be non-stressful and enlightening. and i also hope that my hours spent at home seem to stretch out and last extra long. :) it's supposed to be a mostly sunny week..right now, it's super windy. i have the window open, and the sound of the wind rushing through the drying leaves is really fantastic.

this is what makes me smile:
geology.

i swear i have the cutest, sweetest nieces on the planet. :)
i'm having a blast visiting little lil, to celebrate her 2nd birthday. i can't believe she is 2 already! she is such a sweet little booger...and funny. i am blessed to have her in my life. ♥

warren has got to be one of the most adorable towns in america. i think i've said that before...but every time i come here, i am struck by the "cuteness" of the place. on the way up here, we saw some beautiful autumn colors gracing the hillsides (my camera batteries were dead, but i'm hoping to get some photos on the trip home), a beautiful double rainbow (all the way!! so intense!), 6 or so deer, and 2 black bears. one was just chilling in someone's yard. i'm not sure i'd be so comfortable living in a place where you could wake up with a bear on your front porch on any day of the week...

my today was full of squeal-ly little girl laughter, toys, hugs, coloring pictures, walking in the rain, and loving spending time with my family. (well...part of it anyway) i am so very blessed to have such wonderful people in my life...feeling very thankful & content-it's a nice feeling. :)

this is what makes me smile:
solitary walks along long, empty sidewalks.

compared to yesterday's epic murphy's law-ness, today was fantastically boring. i am very grateful for the monotony i experienced around every corner. :)
and the nice nighttime thunderstorms are a lovely bonus.

this is what makes me smile:
crappy picture, awesome chocolate.

my day has been an unbelievable series of unfortunate events. (thank you, lemony snicket)

just a few of the ridiculous happenings:

• i forgot to put shoes on this morning. for real. and i didn't realize it until i was half-way to work. thankfully, i had my trusty bag of extra clothing. :)
• while crawling under the sink (at work) to turn the water on, i accidentally bumped into a long forgotten industrial sized can of rancid oil that someone left there....which was not solid and splattered it's foul goo all over me, my pants, shoes, shirts, and everything else within a 5 foot square area.
• i dry heaved. several times. 
• sorry, that was gross. but so was that smell. so. disgusting. 
• trying to clean it up, i must have inadvertently mixed some unfriendly chemicals...oopsie. so add horrible chemical odor to the stench of a rotting pile of the grossest smelling crap you've ever had the displeasure of smelling. plus-no window, or even EXHAUST fan in the kitchen. 
• my chemical experiment didn't clean up the goo. and i noticed that the grease was actually stripping the wax off the floor. so.....sticky, slippery mess.
• i spilled my coffee. :(
• my boss bought me another one. :)  ....and some industrial strength lemony scented degreaser.
• oh, i forgot to mention that i had to make TUNA for lunch...which added to the delightful aroma. 
• the degreaser MOSTLY worked....and smelled more like pinesol than lemons. plus ammonia. remember the no window & no fan thing?? yeah....i got a little sick to my stomach.
• again, thankfully, i have that bag of extra clothing in my car...so i changed..all but the shoes, which i had used earlier. this meant i had to go to walmart to buy a pair. i don't go to walmart very often, especially not for shoe buying (but it was the only thing open at 8:50am!), let me tell you, they do not have very good shoes. they are ugly (hey, i'm no fasionista, but seriously...these shoes were UGLY), and cost more than i would normally be willing to pay. but since my shoes smelled like they had been boiled in a vat of festering pig manure, i had to bite it & buy an over-priced pair of too big, ugly, uncomfortable loafers. boo.
• everyone kept coming to the kitchen & complaining about how bad it smelled in their classrooms...and then, they smelled the kitchen & said i should probably be in a coma or something. 
• i forgot to serve lunch. (yeah..that one was kinda bad..but i blame the chemicals. i have to have lost some brain cells today.)
• i forgot to take the trash out before i left. that is not going to smell good in the morning. :/
• skipping ahead (past some less amusing, more stressful junk)..
• it's raining...which is okay, but not good for hiking up a hill to look at lovely leaves. ahh well, maybe tomorrow...and if not, i'm sure i'll see some nice color on the way to warren on friday. 
• i caught the dryer on fire. or at least i thought i did. thankfully, it was just a little smokey. :) hehehh
• while sitting at the table with han, i felt a sharp stab...well...where i was sitting. heh. ow. what was that? i didn't see anything, so i kinda forgot about it. 
• i smelled stink bug stink...but couldn't find the bug. 
• then i found it. :( i had sat on it. and it bit me. yes. i don't care what the "experts" say. stink bugs DEFINITELY bite. and their bites leave blisters...which are not nice to sit upon. 

so now, it is 8:15, and before anything else goes wonky today, i am going to bed. i am glad i have a sense of humor. otherwise, i think i just wouldn't get up tomorrow. heheh.

• booo. i should have gone to bed! i came back to add that i forgot i was scheduled to attend a webinar @ 7. grah. this one irritates me. 

this is what makes me smile:
tomatoes.

class was unexpectedly cancelled at the last minute this afternoon, and what did i do with the gift of some "extra" time? i took a glorious nap. i've been exhausted lately, not sure if it's just getting back into work + school...maybe the shorter days are messing with me, too...and i am probably fighting off who knows how many viruses and stuff shared by those sweet little germ sponges at work. anyway, it was wonderful. i knew a strange moment of panicky disorientation when i heard pounding on the wall & someone shouting, "HAN!!" usually this happens in the morning, when hannah doesn't want to get out of bed...and so i immediately thought i'd overslept somehow. i looked at my clock- YIKES! 6:47!! totally missed the bus..and i'm going to be sooo late for work!! it took me until i started to change into my work clothes, and realized that i was already wearing them, to remember that it was not yet tomorrow morning. haha. the fact that it was just about as dark as it is at that time of morning only added to my confusion.

the sink at work is broken. this is not a good thing when the sink is in the kitchen and your job is to wash HUNDREDS of dishes. :/ i never realized how often i use that sink, but i will be really, really glad when it gets fixed. right now i'm having to scrape all the dishes "clean" and "rinse" them in a bin of water (after i crawl under the sink & turn the main line on just long enough to fill that bin with water...but not toooo far, or the water will spray 10 ft across the kitchen), then pile all the "rinsed" in an "almost clean" bin while i collect & scrape the rest of the dishes..then, finally, when all have been scraped & rinsed...i get to crawl under the sink for a 4th or 5th time so i can fill up the sink and actually wash those gross things. it's taking about twice as long to do the dishes...but i'm managing. it's just making me really, really appreciate properly functioning plumbing. :)

this is what makes me happy.
mmmm so apple-y.

"Nothing else in life is like this thing." ~Pastor Scott Brown, on his first snuggie experience. that was not the best "nugget" of wisdom i heard from pastor scott this morning, but it was definitely the most amusing. :)

i am really thankful for a pastor who teaches straight from the Word. i'm also thankful for a leader who doesn't sugarcoat things for us...

i have been really, REALLY enjoying this string of beautiful days...such a treat after the blessing of seemingly unending rainy days. it's kind of messing with the wildlife, though, i think...we had some forsythia blossoms opening up on the last few shoots we pulled up this weekend. and the bugs are having a hay day. :) ahhh indian summer. the leaves are really starting to turn now, and i'm thinking this week will probably be peak for our fall foliage. i'm hoping to get up to chickies rock or high rock to see if i can get some nice shots of the valleys. (not that any of you will know where those places are...i included a couple of links, in case you care to find out.)

14. that is the number of classes i have left at pmi. i won't be able to get my certification right away after receiving my diploma because of some things that i will have to make up, but it will be really awesome to have my mondays and tuesdays back. i am hoping that i'll be able to get all of the "left over" stuff taken care of by the end of january or february. then i will be able to take my national certification exam in march, and assuming i pass...i'll be able to apply for my PA state MT license by april. i will have letters after my name. hehee.. for some reason, this makes me giggle.

i am still not sure why God plopped me into this gig. i'm trying to figure it out, trying to listen to His voice and follow His leading...i've had a few moments of, "ooooh, duh, amy. this is definitely part of the Plan," but no real clear picture of the future as far as this is concerned-but i'm not really worried about it because, so far, everything related to this adventure has been so clear and obvious that i really haven't even been able to deny that i'm on His path. when the time is right, He will let me know what steps to take, and in which direction to take them... i'm excited to see where He leads me with this education & how He will allow me to use it to His glory.

this has been "stuck" in my head/heart/soul all day..

this is what makes me smile:

barns.

and:

silos that look like they might be part of a castle.

this is what makes me smile:
sunrise...

and:
sunset...

it is amazing how crappily a day can go when you had a night of interrupted sleep. i have to applaud parents with newborns...or any kid that doesn't sleep through the night. i forgot how awful it was to be awoken every few hours, just when the rest is getting good. and it wasn't han waking me up at all hours...i don't know why, but i woke up literally every hour and a half last night. not fun. thankfully, i was able to fall back to sleep right away each time, but it really messed me up today. i was totally off my game. i was zombie-like. very forgetful. and i burnt the fish sticks. :( well...only one pan out of 6, but still. boo for burnt fish. not a very pleasant odor. somehow, even though i was working constantly (i normally have a few minutes here & there to take a breather), i managed to get WAY behind. on prep, on cooking, on cleanup and on DISHES. instead of washing for 2 hrs ...today i washed for 3. :/ i don't know how it happened..it was weird. and hopefully it won't happen again, but at least i didn't burn the kitchen down or poison anyone by accident (or on purpose!!) hehehh

i had forgotten i'd made an appointment to have my hair cut this evening, and if it wasn't a friend who is in cosmetology school who was cutting it, i totally would have cancelled. instead, i dragged myself & my cranky 11 year old to the far side of "the city" for a $5 haircut. of course i got stuck in traffic on the way there, and of course i got lost (is it really too much trouble to post the name of a road at each intersection?? especially in a town?)i ended up 20 minutes late. i hate being late. :/

it was worth the trip & all the hassle though, i hadn't had a trim since january, and leslie did a good job. it was nice to be able to talk to her, too, because i always feel really awkward when some stranger is cutting my hair...like i should be talking, but feel too uncomfortable to say anything. while we were there, i surprised hannah with a manicure. (she's obsessed with painting her nails lately...along with all other things "girly") her reaction was totally great. such a big smile on her face...it was really fun to see her enjoying herself. another awesome part was, when i went to pay for the manicure, the sweet reception lady said, "no  charge, honey." :) niiice.

and THEN, since i didn't have to pay for the nails, i decided we would stop and get ice cream cones on the way home. i ordered, paid, and when i picked up...the kid only handed me one. soo...free ice cream! haha i totally had my money out to pay for it, but he said, "no charge, that was our bad." :) i like free stuff.

well i am obviously overly tired, because i am blabbing on and on, and i feel like i could write about 10 more paragraphs-at least...soo, time to rein myself in.

this is what makes me smile:
making hannah smile.

picture day at a child care facility is always an interesting time. chaos abounds. high-strung moms hover around, watching from the hallway to make sure their kid doesn't get dirty, or mess up their hair before the big moment....which could literally be hours away. it's not really what i would call a good time, but does make for some amusing moments. and lots of crying. heheh. turns out, kids are kinda freaked out by all that bright, strange equipment, not to mention the weird stranger with the creepy hat who keeps making goofy faces and putting an elmo doll on his head and shoots them with the brightest lights they've ever seen. the dude's antics and strange demeanor work for about 1/3 of the kids...and half of those have smiles that look more freaked out than happy.

it was suuuuuuch a beautiful day today. :)  i spent as much time outside as i possibly could..ahhhhhh. so refreshing.

this is what makes me smile:
country roads.

i successfully ingested, and subsequently digested tuna today. a small miracle, since every time in the past 12 years that i've eaten it (or any kind of fish), i have...well, lets just say it didn't stay with me very long.

i also ate a falafel for the first time. holy cow. yum.

some of my classmates are having a little trouble "getting" "foot massage with reflexology," so that's what we worked on for our practical portion tonight...again. feet are weird creatures. our bodies are designed so intricately, and i am constantly in awe as i learn new things about the ways we function. amazing. ♥

on the way home i had to stop at a train crossing...it was kind of weird to come to a complete stop at nighttime, on a road that is in the middle of the country. i've stopped there plenty of times during the day, but never in the dark. and boy was that thing moving s-l-o-w-l-y. i thought to myself, "gee...if it goes any slower, it'll be moving backward."  and guess what? it did. haha. but not before STOPPING and sitting still for SEVEN MINUTES. seven minutes doesn't really sound like a long time, but....in the dark...in the middle of nowhere...it seems like about an hour. hehee. (this was after about 4 minutes..)

while i was sitting there with nothing much to do, i got out of my jeep and  took a picture of the sky...i didn't think it turned out, so i didn't take any more. now i wish i had because when you view it on the "big screen" you can totally see stars. and a number of triangular "formations." weirdness. (there are at least 4...not sure if they are planes? or..??)

after the train backed up and cleared the road...i got most of the way home (only about 2 more minutes after the train stop), and a beeeeautiful red fox ran across the road in front of me. this is cool because, hey, red foxes are cool. but it's also cool because, for no less than 6 months hannah has been trying (unsuccessfully) to convince my dad (who says there is NO WAY a fox would come near our yard because of the dogs) that there is a red fox living in a huge brambly bush in our back yard. now, this particular fox may not be living in our back yard, and in fact i highly doubt that any fox is living in our back yard...but at least we have proof that there is a fox around, and we can assume that she actually did see a fox, and not "a big cat" as has been suggested by my dad...and it also might explain why the dogs have been barking like crazy when there is "nothing" outside.

this is what made me laugh today when i saw it on my way home:
i realize that graffiti is a terrible crime...i also realize that this is pretty hilarious.

Well, the past is playing with my head

And failure knocks me down again

I'm reminded of the wrong that I have said and done

And that devil just won't let me forget

And in this life I know what I've been

But here in Your arms I know what I am

You are forgiven, yeah, I'm forgiven

And I don't have to carry the weight of who I've been

'Cause I'm forgiven

My mistakes are running through my mind 

And I'll relive my days in the middle of the night

When I struggle with my pain, wrestle with my pride

Sometimes I feel alone and I cry

And in this life I know what I've been

But here in Your arms I know what I am

You are forgiven, yeah, I'm forgiven

And I don't have to carry the weight of who I've been

'Cause I'm forgiven

When I don't fit in and I don't feel like I belong anywhere

When I don't measure up to much in this life

Oh, I'm a treasure in the arms of Christ

'Cause I'm forgiven, I'm forgiven

And I don't have to carry the weight of who I've been

'Cause I'm forgiven

this is what makes me smile:

baking goodies when it's chilly outside.

 (han's first apple cake :)delicious!!)

nothing.
that's what i did today.
:)
it kind of rocked.

this is what makes me smile:
sunshine ahead....for more than 2 days in a row! :) (yes, i am finally getting tired of the rain.)