transitions transitions...

hey guys! this is just a quick video on some things i'm realizing about transitions and what i consider the next phase of my move! expect another blogpost by friday! i love you guys!

a little gratitude...

hey guys! i had a pretty wonderful day today and just wanted to let you guys know about it and talk a little bit about gratitude. the video kinda lets you know about all that. i love you all and miss you. yay for the amazing things that God can do and is doing and will do. until later...

snow day!

i love snow! like i LOVE snow. and i love it when God stops the world by means of inclement weather. it's hard sometimes because we americans are insistent. we are often overachieving hard workers who feel the constant need to work work work. rest? rest is for the weak! so when cars remain parked on sidewalks and in driveways, and people remain in their houses or apartments unable to go their jobs or other places, there is something really beautiful about that; at least there's something beautiful about it to me. one of the coolest things i got to witness today was a conversation between my neighbors as they shoveled out their cars. it was cool to watch people in the world come together in conversation. and i feel like things like snow do that. so yay for snow! it's beautiful. 

in addition to that, i truly feel like there are certain things that always remind me of God. usually the things i love do that for me. and snow is one of those things. looking at the snow fall, or just seeing everything covered in white, i don't know, it just floors me and makes my heart smile. to me it's one of God's many ways of saying "look what I can do!". and today was an extra special treat because in addition to snowfall, i also had off of work today. yay! boston public schools were closed (sorry new york) and although normally we would have to go to headquarters, they gave us the day off! yay yay yay! now i love city year--i truly do. but everybody loves an unexpected day off. and today was definitely that: unexpected. i suppose the best gifts are. i got to sleep in, have a great conversation with mercedes, finish watching another bbc version of pride and prejudice (not one of my favorite versions i must say), listen to an incredible sermon on presenting BOLD requests to God, and really connect with God over some things that i don't think about too too often for fear of emotional breakdown. it was wonderful. my God can do ANYTHING. absolutely anything. incredible.

along with those fun things, snow days are also great for that other part of life: catching up on the things that you've fallen behind on. for me, although i've grown in this area, there is always something to do. what are those "somethings" today you ask? well, i have to fill out a survey for city year, complete a performance review, and then take care of some other things so that i will be able to eat for the next 6 months. there are other things that need to get done, but those are the 3 most important things for the day. how many have i completed you wonder? NONE! that's the other bad part of a snow day: it seems like since i never feel like i have the time to rest, when given a day to "catch up" the only thing i want to catch up on IS rest. so yea. i'm in the process of finishing the review. i'm just about done; i think i have like 3 more sections to do. just keep swimming, right? right.

that being said, i should probably get back to the stuff that i need to get done today. i know i know, not probably, definitely. but i promise i'll take pictures of the snowy scene tomorrow before the snow gets all nasty nasty and i'll even try upload them so you can see! i hope you had a wonderful day today and that you had some snow to enjoy too =-) i'd love to hear about things you like about snow days, either what you like to do or what you like about them. until tomorrow!

=-)

the end of mercedes' birthday week!

hey guys! this is just a quick blogpost on the end of mercedes' birthday week! mercedes had a GREAT birthday week. each day brought new festivities! today's festivities are talked about in the video along with some other things. i hope you enjoy the video and i look forward to talking to you later!

a video update =-)

hey guys! SO...i'm trying something a little new. this blog entry is actually a video! i know, crazy! it's kind of long; i apologize for that. but it's an update with what the church is learning here in boston, what's going on with city year and what i'm actually doing, and last but not least, what's going on with me and what i'm learning. feel free to listen to the video in parts. it's 15 and a half minutes long (i know, i know). but it is an update, so chalk it up to that. i love you! i miss you! enjoy!

ps. the next ones will DEFINITELY be shorter =-) and sorry about the delay!

a new year...

as promised, the lyrics to "times" by tenth avenue north =-) i suppose i should write a quick blurb. this song is amazing! to me the song really describes the internal struggle within a relationship with God. when i hear this song, i honestly think of my relationship with God and just how complicated it can get because of the battle between my heart and my mind, what i know and what i feel. it reminds me of romans 7:21-25a

"so i find this law at work: although i want to do good, evil is right there with me. for in my inner being i delight in God's law; but i see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. what a wretched man i am! who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

see, the amazing thing is that no matter what i'm feeling or thinking or what conflicts are going on in between my head and my heart, God has delivered me through Jesus. and as encouraging as that is, sometimes i don't know that, or acknowledge that. but what i'm learning--and what i intend on learning even more this year--is how prayer allows me to acknowledge God's "ever-present help". so here you go! enjoy the song. and happy new year =-) oh! and i would LOVE to hear about some of the things that you're looking forward to or are planning on working on in 2011 too! until then..."times".

i know i need You.

i need to love You.

i love to see You; 

but it's been so long.

i long to feel You.

i feel this need for You.

and i need to hear You;

is that so wrong?

now You pull me near You.

when We're close i fear You.

still i'm afraid to tell You all that i've done.

are You done forgiving?

can you look past my pretending, Lord?

i'm so tired of defending what i've become?

what have i become?


i hear You say

"My love is over, it's underneath,

it's inside, it's in between;

the times you doubt Me, when you can't feel,

the times that you question, 'is this for real? '

the times you're broken,

the times that you mend;

the times that you hate Me and the times that you bend;

well, My love is over, it's underneath,

it's inside, it's in between.

these times you're healing and when your heart breaks,

the times that you feel like you're falling from grace;

the times you're hurting,

the times that you heal,

the times you go hungry and are tempted to steal;

the times of confusion, in chaos and pain,

I'm there in your sorrow under the weight of your shame;

I'm there through your heartache,

I'm there in the storm,

My love I will keep you by My pow'r alone.

I don't care where you fall, where you have been;

I'll never forsake you, My love never ends.

it never ends."