In west Philadelphia....

Born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my days....

Welp, it's nearing 2pm (not really, but I want it to be), and that's when I get to leave for the airport and go to Philadelphia this weekend. I CAN'T wait to see Jess. It's been since July, and that's too long to go without seeing your sister. I guess it's better than going 1 or 2 years, like when she lived in Indonesia.

Has anybody been? What should we do? We're definitely going to Geno's for a Philly Cheesesteak. That is a must. Even though i'm trying to give up meat. Oh well.

What are you doing this hallo-eve?

Thankful Thursday

1. For my sweet little chewy who keeps me company when i get home from LONG days at work
2. For my new gastro doctor, I met today, who is going to take good care of me and finally label what's been going on for 10+ years
3. For my mom, who is driving down to Atlanta on her day off next Friday to take me to the hospital
4. For my bestest big sis, who is letting me come visit her in Philly this weekend, and who is taking me to the Coldplay concert (yay!)
5. For Stephanie, who is so kind to take care of Chewy this weekend, SO last minute, and while taking care of 2 other dogs. love her!

Happy Thursday! It's almost the weekend...

Children of the Corn

Last night BC went to the good ol' Cagle Dairy Farm in Canton, GA. Way fun, I must add! We had some hot chocolate (which kept me up half the night), we had a headlamp, we had a "if you're lost, hold this up" stick, we had a corn shooter, we had a great big bonfire, and we even had a bluegrass band who played on the back of a hayride.

Anything fall, I'm down for. LOVE the weather. Here are some pictures of us.

Thankful Fridays

I'm kind of in a blah mood today because I've had a headache for 3 days, got some not-so-good news from my doctor yesterday, and it's a rainy Friday. So, for kicks, I'm making a Thankful Friday list-- instead of Thankful Thursdays.

1. It's finally cold outside. I get to keep my windows open, and i haven't turned the AC/heat on in over a month. Yay for low energy bills!
2. I'm going to a corn maze/pumpkin patch with friends on Sunday, and we're having a bonfire. Bonfire = fall, and in case you didn't know, I love fall.
3. This weekend (friday and saturday) I have zero plans, as of yet, which means I finally get to be lazy, after several weeks of travelling here and there.
4. I get to call Chip and Melanie tonight to congratulate them on being pregnant with their first girl. so fun!
5. I had pizza for lunch. Nuff said.

Hope you have a great Friday today!

AND i'm back...

So, I guess I took a little hiatus there for awhile, but I'm back. I didn't feel like I had much to say, for awhile, because it was strictly transition boredom.

Now, however, with the election and such, it's time to speak again. Keep on the lookout for more posts.

Oh how He loves

So, by now, I'm pretty sure you know it's Valentine's Day. I've never been one to really get into celebrating Valentine's Day...and not because of lack of boyfriends on Valentine's Day...I just honestly think it's a day to waste money. I get flowers (which I don't even appreciate), I have to make a reservation for dinner, I have to buy another present for my significant other and other random people, and I always end up indulging in too much chocolate. Needless to say, when this day rolls around each year, I let it pass my by without any affect. I don't put forward any effort in thinking about it, really. 

Today, though, I was reminded by a friend of mine, that I am loved by THE lover. It shouldn't be something I need to be reminded of, yet I do. In a day that is focused on hallmark cards, dinners and chocolate, I fail to think of the real and true love that I get to experience every day of my life. He loves me with a love so deep that you can't express it with a cheesy hallmark card, or a heart shaped box of chocolates, or even a nice candle lit dinner. His love is so strong and so abundant, that he floods me with it whether I deserve it or not. Whether I want it or not. Whether I ask for it or not. He loves me. He is (everlasting) love. 

Frankly, I am baffled at how He loves me. How real and unconditional it is. How gracious and forgiving it is. How never-ending and tangible it is. And when I really think about it all, it begs the question, am I able to love others like He loves me? After all, that is what I am called to do, to show, to be. Someone asked me a few weeks ago "who are you?" and one of the things I said in describing myself was "I am someone who loves to love on people." It's true. That's my goal, is to make you feel loved and wanted. But, my love for you has no comparison to God's love for you. My takeaway from today is to legitimately and purposefully work on loving others- the people who are in my daily life, and even those who aren't. I want to leave a mark on your life, and I want that mark to be one of love. Keep me accountable. I'll need it. 

IKEA

Oh the wonders of IKEA. I love it! It's a huge warehouse of furniture, kitchen gadgets, shower curtains, rugs, flowers...I mean all kinds of goodness. And the best part, is...drum roll...it's cheap and affordable. 

This was my second run to IKEA since I've moved to the A-T-L. I went with Scott and Darlene, for the purpose of getting house stuff for them...and alas I walked away with a new piece for my bedroom, and some new accessories for the den and kitchen. 

I love this place. It's a trap for me to most assuredly spend lots of money. But I love this place. 

I'll post pictures of my cute house soon :)

Work

This is my 8th week working for the Home Depot in Atlanta. As you may have already read, I am an inventory analyst. It's the kind of job I've been wanting for awhile...and I hope it will get me where I want to go in the Supply Chain world quickly. 

Being my 8th week, you might think I've been doing a lot of work, catching up on lost time. Not so. I've been bored out of my head, for much of each day, for a few weeks now. I've been screaming (on the inside) for responsibility. It's just the culture of Home Depot to "take it slow" and just glide into things. BUT, this week I finally began doing my own work, for real. I was finally given complete control over all of my SKUs for the watering class- cool, i get to order hoses, that's fun huh? Actually, I don't care what I get to order, I'm just glad I'm finally working. It's nice to feel like I'm worth something, and that I'm filling my day up with meaningful things. At the end of the day, I'm working with about $25 million dollars worth of product, for all of the United States. If I screw anything up, i'm in big trouble. Likewise, if I do a good job, i make a profit for the HD, and that is just plain great any way you slice it. It's not to be adding value to my team and for my managers. It's like a breath of fresh air. I'm back in place. I'm doing work. I'm accomplishing great things. I feel like I'm of some worth. I'm in the game, and I'm going for it. 

Speaking of going for it...I still have a few hours of work left to do for the night. While I'm NOT a work-a-holic, i can almost taste it...YUM, it feels good to be doing what I've wanted to do for a long time. 

What defines who you are?

So tonight at 722, what Jared said really hit me right when I needed it to. His series right now is called Re:Purposed, and tonight the focus was on work. We all know that one of the first questions asked when meeting someone new is "So, what do you do?" But have you ever asked someone "who are you, really?" instead? 

Mark 6:1-2 "Jesus left there and went to his hometown...when the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. 'Where did this man get these things?' they asked? 'What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn't this the carpenter?'

Often times, we learn to define someone by their job, or their title, instead of who they really are as a person. Even Jesus, at this point, was defined by these bystanders by what he did..."isn't he a carpenter?" It's commonplace for society to tag you by your position- "Oh, he's a doctor, he must be smart, kind, in good moral standing..." blah blah blah. With this constantly pressed upon me, I'll be honest, it's sometimes hard to escape defining myself by anything other than what I do from 8-5 (ok, 9-5, haha). If Jesus allowed himself to accept this definition of carpenter, how would he have accomplished what he came to do? What I realized tonight, is it's the same for me. 

Take this one in: Mark 1:9-10 "At that time Jesus...was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open...And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." If you know the life of Jesus, at this point, he wasn't even officially in the ministry. He wasn't out preaching yet, or traveling performing miracles. He was still just a carpenter. What had he done up to this point that was of earthly value? He was just a carpenter, but God still said "I love him because he's my son, and he's established in me." Jesus' worth and identity came from knowing who he was in God. 

This is something I need to be reminded of daily, hourly sometimes: truly knowing the heart and character of God will allow me to know who I really am. My purpose is to do the will of the One who created me. I long to know the heart of God- to know that he is my Abba Father, my friend, my protector, my redeemer, my provider, my healer, my lover. And by know, I mean KNOW- I mean understand, grasp, receive. But how am I to know this about God, to know his character and to know how he views me, if I don't spend quality time with him? Some days, since I'm still new to Atlanta, i have absolutely nothing to do, and still I spend time watching movies, or playing around on the computer. If I truly want to know who God is, why don't I strive harder to get there? I could bypass alot of stress, and times of no confidence, if only I would know God, which would in turn allow me to know who I am. Jared was right, instead of focusing on what I do, and how I perform in that job, the right way of thinking should be

        Who are You (God)? ---> Who am I? ---> What do I do?

Let it Snow, let it snow, LET IT SNNNNOOOOOWWW!

YAY, i'm jumping up and down for joy because it's been snowing for about 2 hours now. The last hour of work was a crapshoot because we all just stared out the window watching the flakes. Once I left to come home, the flakes were HUGE. These really are the biggest flakes I've seen in the south in a looonnng time. It's definitely sticking on the ground, for now, too. That makes it even better! Snow just plain makes me happy!

Chewy (my dog) loves the snow too. Last year in Charlotte was his first snow, and he ran around in circles in the park with the other dogs for hours that day. His hair was long then, and he was literally dripping when we came back in the house, because he was in the snow for so long. Today was not much different. He was super hyper when I got home (more than usual, if you can imagine) and when we went outside to walk, he just took off running. He stayed on the sidewalk for awhile, not knowing what to think of the grass being white. Then, after sniffing the snow for a few minutes, he just ran around in so many circles. He loves it. I love 

it. Everyone loves it. Snow is fun! I know the storm is moving north pretty quickly, so it won't last long, but I am going to savor every moment. You never know, it could be years

 before I see it again.

Chewy sniffing the snow

My home in ATL with snow...yay, fun!