where she stops nobody knows...

THIS WORLD IS HUGE..and so diverse..
I'm so thankful for my life, my house, my dog, my friends, my family, my job, my health, etc etc..
this is enough, more than enough. God blesses me everyday. I deserve none of it.
BUT i would love to travel more. God's creation is amazing. there are so many countries with awesome landscapes, mountains, beaches, waterfalls,...i want to see it all. I want to visit Italy, Greece, Paris, Spain. I want to learn about the cultures, the people. I think life has gotten way off track for this country. I think we are so caught up in money, things, status, our job title, big houses, expensive cars, fancy things...things we get bored of after a month of owning it. What about the simple things...the trees, the rivers, the birds, the flowers, the sand, the sunset and sunrise, the sound of waves crashing on the shore, the rain, and on and on..and all of these are different all over the world.. God has given us a whole earth to live on. And none of it is the same. That interests me. Ive seen pictures, i've seen movies...but man, to see it all with my own eyes. I would love to ride a train around Europe, by myself or with good friends, or with someone special..i would love to go place to place, taking it all in..sights, sounds, smells, meeting all the different kinds of people, learning about their lives and what they like to do ...i want to know something new, something different from what i have grown up with for 26 years. I love Raleigh, I love NC, I love the US..but there is just so much more. and not much time to experience all of it.
I just dont know how to do it.
But i do know timing is everything.

Pictures- yes like from a camera...

Hello Everyone.
if you do not know this about me, then you dont know much about me;-) jk

so i rarely take pictures..much less develop them..back in college i only used a disposable camera.that was when i actually took pics...Klein usually gave me doubles..THANKS for that..or I would have no photo albums of my college life..haha

so now Klein is married and in ATL. so i have my own digital camera. however being that the photos are digital, i dont get them developed that often..unless i happen to find a fabulous picture frame that NEEDS a recent photo..

ok so now that digital photos have come along, the newest fad is to download your pictures onto your computer and various websites: facebook, myspace, blogs, etc etc....

as you can guess, if i was slow at the whole picture developing thing. i am certainly behind at learning how to download photos to different websites..i mean i have done some, like facebook and myspace..but i have yet to take the time to learn how to put photos on my blog.

sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words..soooooooo I think i need to learn to add photos
:-)

thats all i got on this subject..

happy monday to all

paint brushes and dance shoes

ok so im excited..today i have been thinking of all the things that i love to do..but that i dont make time to do. Things i am good at, and things i am not so good at. But regardless, i love to do them. Painting, reading, dancing, writing...i love to do all of these...all are different ways of being creative, ways of expressing something within me..i do like my job, dont get me wrong..and i love working out, i love hanging out with my friends..but the creative things, they give me a different type of outlet..a way to get out thoughts, passions, energy.

I painted back in middle school and college. I will say i am good. i have had people want to buy my paintings. However it has been a LONG time since i have picked up a paint brush. I really want to start painting again..and possibly try to sell some of the art. I found a cute restaurant that will let me hang my paintings up for sale on their walls. Soooo i started looking into art classes offered in raleigh..i need to refresh what i had learned back in the day. I love impressionist paintings. I love to use acrylic paint. They have a certain thickness that enables the painter to show texture . The brush strokes are visible in acrylic paintings and i love how that looks. The hardest thing for me is making the time to paint. My favorite piece of art i have done is of sailboats in a harbor. This i did my sophomore year of college during winter term..and it took a lot of work, a lot of perfecting..a lot of focused time was dedicated to this piece..how in the world can i make this kind of time to paint again?..my dad told me, you make time for what you love.

The other thing i looked into is dance classes. This i am not good at.. I mean i am athletic and i have rhythm but i am not flexible and i have NEVER danced before in my life. I have taken one hip hop class with ginny..it was fun, but i was not the best in the class! haha..but i loved it!! it was soooooooooo much fun.. The North Carolina Dance Institute offers a lot of great classes. Jazz, Modern, Hip Hop, Ballet.. They are pricey but its such a new and fun thing for me..plus its great exercise. As you can see i know nothing about dance..its just something that i enjoy.

However, i cannot do both of these because the budget does not allow. I guess ill have to make a decision soon enough and just go with it.

Ill let ya know how it turns out
what would you prefer, paint brushes or dance shoes?

there's a reason for it..

Here is what I think..that when things dont go the way we planned or the way we were hoping, its because we have no clue!! i know i dont have a clue. This weekend for example..things didnt go the way i expected and I was a lil sad about it..however, i am so okay about it now.. i know that I am not in control of anything, the big or the small things.. Things didnt work out how i planned or expected but i know that there is a reason for that..God sees past today and tomorrow and on into eternity..he knows the whole story..and even though the weekend plans turned out different than i thought or hoped for, i know God has planned it for the best for him and his glory..and in that, it's the best for me.
God puts people in certain situations with certain people and at certain times for specific reasons that only he can see in advance.
And i am excited about this weekend now..i have a lot of fun plans and i will be hanging out with fun people that otherwise i wouldnt have seen..
tonight i am going to see a movie on the lawn at Koka Booth Amphitheatre..a small group of us is going..we are gonna load up our chairs and pack a cooler full of cold drinks and snacks..i'm gonna enjoy the weather, the movie, a cold mountain dew and prob some baked lays..then afterward enjoy the friends around me ...
Tomorrow is July 4th and my brother Josh's 21st bday!! Again a group of people are getting together and heading out to regency park..prob around 3 so we can get a good spot..lay out our blankets and then play cards or throw the football until the fireworks start..there will be plenty of time for relaxing and just catching up with friends...I know ill be tired after the fireworks...i have grown out of my night owl stage.AH.what happened?? haha
then comes Saturday..my aunts, uncles, cousins are all coming to my parents house to celebrate Graduations..my cousin kate graduated from UNCW and my cousin Macie graduated from Lake Norman highschool..i love my family..we will have a great time.. we'll do what we always do: hang around and chat, laugh a lot, eat a lot, and make sure to get in many hugs! haha..oh and there will be gifts involved this time..so fun
Saturday night will prob be a game night..have people over to my parents house, lots of food, play horse shoes, cards, get in the outdoor hot tub and just chill, maybe put in a movie..
Sunday is church, pool, small group..
AND sometime during the weekend we will celebrate Josh's bday!! sounds busy but we will def fit in it...and the funny thing is, Josh will probably want to make his own cake..delish!! i swear he could cook anything with no recipe, you name it..last night he made chicken pastry/chicken pot pie..it was so good..I asked Josh, "did you use a recipe?" .."no" he says..what in the world..i MUST have a recipe..i make some great banana bread i must say..but the list of things i cook is limited..HAHA..yall know that already though..and thanks for still loving me ;-)

So anyway, as i said again..God always puts us right where he wants us..and even if there wasnt fun stuff still going on this weekend, that wouldnt change a thing..God would still have ordained it, even if it didnt seem like an important thing..it still would have been for a reason..God will use the weekend and the events of the weekend and the people he puts in our lives every weekend and everyday for a reason..even if we have no idea that that moment or that conversation, or that random running into and old friend, or that song we hear on the radio...whatever it is..God will use it..but if there is one thing i learned..We have to look for it...God is moving and working in our lives and all around us..But are we sensitive to him, to his Spirit in our heart, to what he shows us through the seemingly insignifacant things in our lives, through the big and the small things..We must take our eyes off of ourselves and look through the eyes that God gives us , eyes that have a vision for eternity and for God's kingdom, the one that will last forever and conquer everything..
I cant wait until the day where it is no longer a daily decision/struggle to see things this way..til the day when i am there, in eternity with Him..