wowie, hard to believe 2017 is coming to an end!  doesn't quite feel real.  i like reflecting on the year by highlighting important moments/things that have happened, so here's my reflection through photos to wrap up 2017.  it's actually really exciting to think what the pictures on here will look like in my review of 2018!  this life is a gift.. every breath, and the good LORD has given me more than i come close to deserving.  i am thankful.  ​
praise be to "the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." exodus 34: 6 & 7

[2016 in review, 2015 in review, 2014 in review]
here's to you, 2018!
cheers, friends!

"God did not enter the world of our nostalgic, silent-night, snow-blanketed, peace-on-earth, suspended reality of  christmas. God slipped into the vulnerability of skin and entered our violent and disturbing world."
nadia bolz weber
"the people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned."
isaiah 9:2

hello.
here is a list of random things i am thinking about today, for your amusement/boredom/curiosity . . .

- this morning i read the story of Jesus getting down to the ground to wash His disciples' feet and i was just shocked.  He's so humble.  especially in light of Christmas, the vulnerability from the beginning of His life on earth to the end is so shocking and beautiful i can't stand it.

- then i read the verse that says something like "they will know you are my disciples by the way you love each other" and i asked Him that i might learn to serve like Him and be humbled today, which sounds super holy but then i got to work and right away a kiddo had a fistful of poop in his hand with a smile and i think sometimes God is funny (:  haha, not that God is like that, but hey, i did ask to be humbled.

- i think my coworker kassy is sarah's "secret snowflake" but that tricky possum might be messing with me and leading me to believe she is when she's not... i also think i figured out who everybody has because i like to figure that kind of thing out.  maybe i'm the tricky possum... plot twist.

- my roommate alyssa and i exchanged little gifties for each other tonight and she gave me the most beautiful mittens!  i was really wanting a good pair of mittens for winter too and i'm so grateful!  she also gave me a candle that smells SO good, i'm smelling it right now as i type this and it smells like tea so i made myself some tea.

- googled the difference between gloves and mittens because honestly, i never know.  well.  now i do.  they're mittens i got.  yep.

- my boyfriend francis almost got me pumpkin pie filling for christmas and that fact made me like him even more, ha!  whatta weirdo.  also i didn't have to say "my boyfriend francis," i could've just said "francis," but i'm just real glad we're dating and it feels real special to call him my boyfriend (:  he's my boyfriend.  francis.  my boyfriend.

- i painted my nails tonight and i don't usually paint my nails and now i feel like a fancy lady.  like i should have a british accent or something.. like you do.. when you're fancy.

- i think my favorite christmas song is "oh holy night" for the lyrics.  but also i'm really into this christmas song by josh garrels lately.

that's it.  that's all.
​(:

^ and here's a pic of me, in case you forgot what i look like.  i like to do things that make me laugh, like find grandma thrift store sweaters that jingle.. could hear me a mile away on the streets of saint paul on saturday! (:  ^
haha, life's fun sometimes.

she's real special and i love her and i love spending time with her.  i especially enjoyed our time together on saturday mornin.  PUMPED i get her for life!

a constant prayer of mine is that God would be on my mind more throughout the day, in the midst of my tasks and during my interactions.  but then i feel like even though i start my day asking that, by the end it's sort of the same as any other day. 
i think this has something to do with not actively setting up patterns to build habits that would cause me to think more about Jesus throughout the day.  it's like i'm expecting God to just come to mind more without doing anything on my part.. which i believe He can do, but also feel i have a role in training myself to be more attentive. 

so i wanted to share a simple way i can notice and bring Him into my day that you can use too!  it's really easy.  you may have heard of it, it's called the "breath prayer."  if you want to dive deeper, the idea of it and the different ways you can do breath prayer are more thoroughly laid out HERE, but i'm just focusing on this simple concept:
1)  starting out with a name for God that means something to you or sticks out to you a little more (Abba, Father, Lord, Shepherd, Creator, etc.) and 2) pairing that with a word or phrase that describes what you're most longing for from God/ what you need most from Him/ a truth about who He is or who you are.  the idea is to engage your body through something as basic as breathing with that simple prayer.. INHALE, (name for God).. EXHALE, (desire/need/truth).. and you can do it in the midst of any task!  an easy enough start for something i want to become a habit.  want to join me tomorrow?  if you're not sure where to start you can use one of the ones that stuck out to me...

"Father, i belong to you."
"sweet Jesus, you provide all my needs."
"Lord, your servant is listening."
"Jesus, be near to me."
"Father of light, be my peace."

hope it provides some meaningful connection with God throughout your day!

^^ an unrelated pic from my snowy drive to work this mornin.  thought the snow was sort of pretty, or whatever..

for vic and reflecting on her life and our friendship and celebrating her at work.  she is so easy to celebrate.
for big gobs of snow on the way to work.. actually so pretty and cozy!
for my coworkers being my teammates, even though we all slightly feel like our heads are just barely above water these days and it's easy to feel stressed.  i feel like we all look out for one another.
for two little buddies who really like hangin out with each other repeating me in their little voices saying "besties for the resties" about themselves.  HA.  
for mom teasing me and laughing pretty hard with her and dad briefly after work.
for alyssa being home when i got home.
for getting to talk to the boy i like in a few.. real excited for that ((:

hey, friends!  happy sunday!
i thought i'd share my favorite chill/contemplative music for the ones who, like me, are resting & reflecting before the week starts and value some good background tunes.  jeff pianki is top notch.
(or if you don't want to listen to the whole thing, go to 18:12, that's my favorite song on here :))
here's to a grace-filled week!

i was inspired by my friend sam's words and felt refreshed in my mindset about christmas after reading them (you should read what he wrote^), so i decided to jot down a list of things i want to be mindful of this christmas season. 
i'm a sucker for all the cozy, cheery gatherings & christmas music & sentimental gushy-ness this time of year brings as much as the next person (unless you're the next person and you aren't into those things :)), but desire a balanced mindset.. one that honors & cherishes Christ while also eating Christmas cookies and watching a hallmark movie with mom (my mom's aaalll about those hallmark movies and we love to tease her for it, ha!)..
so here goes.. things i want to cultivate and be mindful of this season (and honestly, in my life in general)...

1) simplicity.  this isn't new information for anyone, this time of year there are a lot of expectations on hosting, buying, decorating, cooking, baking, doing, and i want to buck the system a little bit.  all of those are good things, but not when they're done out of obligation and without sincerity or even enjoyment.  i want to slow down this christmas season and evaluate my decisions through a lens of simplicity.  more meaningful, thoughtful decisions/purchases, less obligation and expectation... applied to all of those categories ^.
2) slowing down.  this goes along with #1, but i think the only way to really notice what Jesus might be inviting us into, where He might be moving & what He might be saying to us in the midst of our days, and to really cherish and notice Him, is the act of slowing down and making time for Him, time for rest, time for quiet.
3) gratitude.  it's easy to forget about gratitude after thanksgiving, but i don't ever want to forget to thank our sweet Jesus for who He is and what He has done.  never ever.  the minute i forget to thank Him, the minute my heart starts to believe scary things like "i deserve this."  just the breath in our lungs is a gift, and everything else is lavished lavished lavished.  may we never believe we deserve any of it.
4) being together.  hands down, my favorite thing about christmastime is the gatherings it inspires.  i love an excuse to see people i don't get to see often, or get the whole fam together or all my friends!  it's so fun to me.  the idea of prioritizing celebration is somethin i've been thinking about lately, and it makes sense that this time of year there'd be so much celebrating, even if it is covered over and masked by obligation.  our God entered the gritty, dirty, brokenness of humanity in the most vulnerable way, and came to give us hope because He loves us.  i can' think of anything more beautiful or worth celebrating & gratitude.  it is a good thing to be together.  emphasis on BE..  just bringing ourselves to spend time with people.  i love that.

that's all i could think of right now!  wanna join me?? 
​and MERRY CHRISTMAS, friends!  and it won't kill any of us to drink some eggnog, eh?!  (actually... don't drink it if you're lactose intolerant.. bad idea.. whoops.)  
​:)

hello.  this is me and the mug holl gave as a bridesmaid gift this weekend popping in to say hi.  she gave each of us a different one and i love it so much.  my new favorite!  it's so pretty.

i kind of don't know what to do with this blog now that november's over.  i really enjoyed the habit of writing everything i was grateful for every day and want to continue in some capacity, because it really had my eyes open all month and this blog provided some accountability for that, but i'm not sure what i'll do next.

i saw aft for the first time tonight since she left for new zealand and israel (!!!) with ywam (youth with a mission) back in july, and isn't it just the best feeling being reunited with someone you care so much about after a while apart??  i think so.

it's december, and that means it's officially 'dressember,' where brave & cool women around the world wear dresses every day this month to raise money to advocate for the 27 MILLION enslaved in sex trafficking and fundraise to give to beautiful, life-saving orgs like ijm (international justice mission) and a21, who are actively rescuing women and providing tons of recovery resources.  paige & i did it a couple years ago and it meant a lot to us.  my roommate, alyssa, and several of my friends are participating this year, and i think you should check it out!  here are links to their pages!:
ALYSSA, KASSIE, GRACE, MEGAN, LYNITA, EMILY, CAMILLE.

doesn't feel like christmas time to me.  do you guys think it does?  maybe i need to hang some lights? ha, i keep forgetting that it's christmas time!  maybe i'll listen to some christmas tunes.

i'm not tryin to be corny, but i am dating such a good man, i just can't believe it still!  like, whaaaat?!  i wonder if i'll ever stop being so shocked that i get to date him.. ha.

i'm just wondering why i'm not in bed right now... i feel so tired!  i love bed.  mmh!  
in fact, i'm bout to go right now, yesss!  sleep is so good.  mhm!  

that's all.  (:

we're dating each other.  dating.  d8ing.  me & francis.  dating dating dating.  datey date dating.  date date date dating.
​(: