Lots of Lines (Foto Friday)

This week's photo challenge was "Lines". To participate in this week's Foto Friday and see others' photos of lines, visit Rebecca's blog!

Seize the Day

My hands were busy through the day
I didn't have much time to play
The little games you asked me to,
I didn't have much time for you.
I'd wash your clothes, I'd sew and cook,
But when you'd bring your picture book
And asked me please to share your fun,
I'd say,"A little later, Son."
I'd tuck you in all safe at night
And hear your prayers, turn out the light,
Then tiptoe softly to the door...
I wish I'd stayed a minute more.

For life is short, the years rush past...
A little boy grows up so fast.
No longer is he at your side,
His precious secrets to confide.
The picture books are put away,
There are no longer games to play,
No good-night kiss, no prayers to hear,
That all belongs to yesteryear.
My hands, once busy, now are still.
The days are long and hard to fill.
I wish I could go back and do
The little things you asked me to!

Random Survey

1. What time did you get up this morning? 5:30ish maybe? I couldn't sleep.

2. How do you like your steak? Very well done if I eat it at all.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? New Moon maybe? I don't see a lot of theatre movies.

4. What is your favorite TV show? Grey's Anatomy. Or Bones.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Here (Colton/Loma Linda). I don't like change.

6. What did you have for breakfast? Oatmeal. Plain.

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Honestly? American. But I do like Thai, Mexican, and Chinese.

8. What foods do you dislike? Any seafood/fish other than canned tuna and fish sticks

9. Favorite Place to Eat? I'm not sure...I'm always so indecisive.

10. Favorite dressing? Italian or ranch.

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? 1999 Green Ford Escort and I love it.

12. What are your favorite clothes? Jeans and tennis shoes. Although sometimes I do like dressing up.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Canada, Europe, Hawaii

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? The cup usually isn't even half empty...it's completely empty!

15. Where would you want to retire? Here I guess. But I don't really feel like retiring right now.

16. Favorite time of day? Nap time?

17. Where were you born? At Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Baseball.

19. Bird watcher? What? No, not except when I was taking a zoology class.

20. Are you a morning person or a night person? Neither.

21. Do you have any pets? Two cats and a fish.

22. What did you want to be when you were little? A mom.

23. What is your best childhood memory? Going fun places with my family and playing with my siblings.

24. Are you a cat or dog person? Cat.

25. Are you married? No.

26. Always wear your seat belt? Yes...me and anyone else who's in my car.

27. Been in a car accident? A few, but none of them were very major or my fault.

28. Any pet peeves? Spelling and grammatical errors. People who smoke.

29. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Cheese.

30. Favorite Flower? Anything pretty.

31. Favorite ice cream? Chocolate Chip

32. Favorite fast food restaurant? Subway

33. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Zero

34. From whom did you get your last email? Petsmart or facebook...

35. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? The idea of maxing out my credit card at any store is not very appealing.

36. Do anything spontaneous lately? I'm really more of a planner.

37. Like your job? Working with autistic kids? Yes, it's challenging but very rewarding. Babysitting? Of course, all I've ever wanted is a baby of my own.

38. Broccoli? Sure, if someone else fixes it for me.

39. What was your favorite vacation? Going to Yosemite with my family

40. Last person you went out to dinner with? The young adult group at my church

41. What are you listening to right now? Marvelous Light by Charlie Hall

42. What is your favorite color? Green

43. How many tattoos do you have? None

Loving (Foto Friday)

This week's photo challenge was "Loving". And what more perfect form of love is there than Christ's death on the cross for us! To participate in this and other Foto Fridays (and see some others' cool representations of "Loving"), check out Rebecca's blog.

Emma

2 Timothy 4:6-8
"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

A week ago sweet Emma finished her race and entered the presence of her Heavenly Father. She is whole and perfect and basking in the presence of Jesus Christ. Please pray for her family - while we rejoice for Emma, we grieve for those left behind to miss her.

God knows

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16
I came across this verse today, and it just encouraged me to think of how God knows everything that has and will happen in my life...nothing in my life surprises him. He has a perfect plan for my life and knows exactly what is best for me.

Paul Wesley Green

Please pray for this little guy and his family during this difficult time!

35 comments for $35

I may or may not make it back on here today for Foto Friday, but meanwhile, this blogger is donating $35 to World Vision to provide needed medicines to children in poor countries for every 35 comments she receives on this post! Head over and leave a comment sometime today to help her reach her goal and you'll also be entered in a fun giveaway!

Little Feet (Foto Friday)

Kitten Feet

Baby Feet (Footprints)

Big feet (slightly sunburned from wearing flip flops)


Visit Rebecca's blog to see lots more little feet!

"Oh I Want To Know You More" (Steve Green)

Oh Lord, let this be the constant prayer of my heart

I pray for life

Water (Foto Friday)

Visit Rebecca's Blog to see other pictures of water from this week's Foto Friday, or for details on how to participate in next week's challenge!

Black and White (Foto Friday)

Visit Rebecca's blog to see other "Black and White" pictures from this week's challenge or to participate in next week's Foto Friday!

A Slight Breeze (Foto Friday)

I am a novice photographer, and was hard-pressed to find wind with the 100+ degree temperatures we've been having, but did manage to to catch a little breeze. :)

To participate in Foto Friday, visit Rebecca at Renaissance.

Take My Life and Let It Be

We sang this song at church a few weeks ago, and the first part really struck me...
"Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee. Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise."
As I sang these words, I really started to think...what would my moments and days truly look like if they were flowing in ceaseless praise to my Savior and King? Yes, I do try to live my life for Christ, but I don't think I am really that conscious of how I am living my life moment by moment. In the little decisions I make throughout my day, is my life honoring Christ?
"In everything I say and do, let my life honor you, here I am living for your glory"

Rain

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy mother's day to all the mothers out there!

Happy Easter!

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " Then they remembered his words.
-Luke 24:1-8

And the winner is...

Using this random interger generator, I selected a winner for my baby hat giveaway. And the winner is...
Result: 4
Beth!!!
Congratulations Beth, please contact me at anb1122@live.com and let me know what hat you would like!

Baby Hat giveaway!

I make knit baby hats, and am giving one away as a prize through 5 Minutes for Mom's Ultimate Blog Party. The hat is prize number 124, but there are a bunch of other great prizes, so be sure to check it out! If I win a prize, I'd love to win (in order) number 19, 21, 22, 58, 7, or 118, or, in no particular order, number 27, 26, 13, 5, 1, 23, 102, 51, 52, 45, or 77. But really, I think it would be fun to win any prize! I will also be giving away a baby hat separately from the blog party, so leave a comment below stating why you would like to win one, and I'll choose a winner on March 28.

Prayers for a little baby

A childhood friend of mine had her second baby, Mia Amore, on February 4. And this precious baby girl has been in the NICU struggling to breathe on her own and fighting for her life ever since. Please pray for baby Mia, and visit her family's website to learn more about her and see the latest prayer requests.

It's a good thing...

...he wasn't president when he was born, or he just might not have been!

I have never...

Or rather, I have done the things in bold below:

Started your own blog (more than one, actually)

Slept under the stars

Played in a band

Visited Hawaii

Watched a meteor shower

Given more than you can afford to charity

Been to Disneyland/world

Climbed a mountain

Held a praying mantis

Sang a solo

Bungee jumped

Visited Paris

Watched a lightning storm at sea

Taught yourself an art from scratch

Adopted a child

Had food poisoning (probably)

Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

Seen the Mona Lisa in France

Slept on an overnight train

Had a pillow fight

Hitchhiked

Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

Built a snow fort

Held a lamb (in Peru)

Gone skinny dipping (does it count if I had my suit on?)

Been to a Broadway show in NY

Ran a Marathon

Been in three states at once

Ridden in a gondola in Venice

Seen a total eclipse

Watched a sunrise or sunset

Hit a home run

Been on a Cruise

Seen Niagra Falls in Person

Visited the birthplace of your Ancestors (I wouldn't know where that is, but I have been to Bristow, Oklahoma)

Seen an Amish community

Taught yourself a new language

Had enough money to be truly satisfied (if only money would truly satisfy...)

Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

Gone rock climbing

Seen Michelangelo’s David

Sung karaoke

Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

Visited Africa

Walked on a beach by moonlight (sort of...we didn't walk far)

Been transported in an ambulance

Had your portrait painted

Gone deep sea fishing

Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (and I was so terrified I almost wouldn't get out of the boat!)

Kissed in the rain

Played in the mud (my favorite childhood pastime!)

Been to Grace Kelley’s grave in Monaco

Gone to a drive-in theater

Been in a movie

Visited the Great Wall of China

Started a business

Taken a martial arts class

Swam in the Mediterranean Sea

Visited Russia

Served at a soup kitchen (homeless shelter?)

Sold Girl Scout cookies (I've bought them)

Gone whale watching

Gotten flowers for no reason

Donated blood, platelets or plasma (I do it every 8 weeks)

Gone sky diving

Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

Bounced a check

Saved a favorite childhood toy (I saved nearly all of them, actually)

Visited the Lincoln Memorial

Eaten Caviar

Pieced a quilt

Stood in Times Square

Toured the Everglades

Been fired from a job

Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

Broken a bone (my 2nd toe)

Been on a speeding motorcycle

Seen the Grand Canyon in person

Published a book

Visited the Vatican

Bought a brand new car

Walked in Jerusalem

Had your picture in the newspaper

Read the entire Bible

Visited the White House

Killed and prepared my own meat

Had chickenpox

Saved someone’s life

Sat on a jury

Met someone famous

Joined a book club

Lost a loved one

Had a baby

Seen the Alamo in person

Swam in the Great Salt Lake

Been involved in a law suit

Owned a cell phone

Been stung by a bee

What is this country coming to???

My older sister lives in LA. So on Friday, she's driving her car, and a lady runs a stop sign, causing my sister to hit the lady's car. Now, the lady doesn't speak any English (my sister speaks fluent Spanish, however, so they can still converse) and doesn't even have a driver's license. She also has no auto insurance. My sister calls the police, but when they arrive, they refuse to make an accident report. So basically, they do nothing, when this lady is here illegally, driving without a license, and has no car insurance?!?! At the very least they should have written her a ticket and impounded the car. Or at least made an accident report! Now that is jacked up!!!

a word of life

"God is higher than anything and anyone,
outshining everything you can see in the skies.
Who can compare with God, our God,
so majestically enthroned,
Surveying his magnificent
heavens and earth?
He picks up the poor from out of the dirt,
rescues the wretched who've been thrown out with the trash,
Seats them among the honored guests,
a place of honor among the brightest and best.
He gives childless couples a family,
gives them joy as the parents of children.
Hallelujah!"
(Psalm 113:4-9, The Message)

Haha

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the FBI, and the CIA want to see who is best at catching perps. So a rabbit is released into the forest, and each of them has to catch it.
The CIA goes in. They place animal informants throughout the forest. They question all plant and mineral witnesses. After months of extensive investigation, they conclude that rabbits do not exist.
The FBI goes in. After two weeks with no leads, they burn the forest, killing everything in it, including the rabbit.
The LAPD goes in. They come out two hours later, dragging a bruised mountain lion behind them. The mountain lion is yelling, "Okay! Okay! I'm a rabbit! I'm a rabbit!"

Joy to the World

"Your Father loves you!"

About a month ago the pastor at my church gave a sermon on finding God in difficult times and how He helps us through trials and is there in our pain. At the end Pastor Dane told the story about Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest daughter Maria getting run over (and killed) by his 17-year-old son Will back in May, the night before Will was to graduate highschool. And Pastor Dane said that when Will ran over Maria, he ran and grabbed his sister and held her and screamed for his parents for help. And since they live in the country, a helicopter came to airlift Maria to Vanderbilt. And as Steven went to get into the helicopter with Maria, knowing she was probably going to die because of the severity of her injuries, he called out, "Will! Your father loves you!" And when asked about it later, he said, "I didn't want to lose two children that night." And when Will was asked how he has gotten through this most difficult time, he said through the love and support of his parents and family. And Pastor Dane said it's like that with God. In the midst of our most difficult times, He's calling out to us, "Your Father loves you!"

The End of the Spear

I watched this movie, about Jim Elliott, Nate Saint, and the others who gave their lives witnessing to the Waodani people in Ecaudor in the 1950's. I know the story well; I've known it since I was little. But for some reason, while watching this movie, something struck me differently...at one point, Nate Saint's little boy asks him if he will defend himself if the Waodani attack. And he says something like, "No, we can't. The Waodani aren't ready to meet the Lord. We are." And just like that, these five brave missionaries gave their lives, not fighting back when the Waodani attacked them, even though they had guns with them. Because they were ready to meet Christ, and they knew that their attackers were not.
Given the same opportunity, I don't know if I could do the same. I can only hope so.

Wind

Yesterday and Sunday, the Santa Ana winds were blowing hard. When I walked out my front door yesterday afternoon, I discovered that a bunch of branches had blown off my palm tree and knocked my tomato plant completely over. Then, in the evening, when I was watching TV, the station (and every other channel) suddenly went out. So I decided to go up and check my email instead. Or not...my internet was down too. Oh well, at least the power didn't go out.

Twice as nice

Christmas Shoeboxes

I remember as a child of maybe 10 or so, filling a shoebox with Christmas gifts for a child in war-torn Bosnia, to be delivered by an organization called Samaritan's Purse through an effort they called "Operation Christmas Child". My three siblings and I each carefully selected toys, crayons, mittens, and scarves, wrapped our shoebox tops and bottoms separately, and then each wrote a letter to the child we were sending the gifts to. My child wrote back to me, and I corresponded with this girl for the next couple years.
During my first year at college in Santa Barbara, I was again given the opportunity to fill shoeboxes with Christmas goodies, and I took great joy in filling two shoeboxes, one for a little girl and one for a little boy, to be shipped I don't know where this time.
This year, the Lockwood family, a missionary family in Mexico that I follow by blog, will be passing out Christmas shoeboxes to the children in the town where they serve. They are hoping to be able to pass out ~200 boxes, bringing joy to each child and an opportunity to share the source of true joy, Jesus Christ. I have already made a couple of boxes to send, and have had so much fun doing it! Here is a link to the instructions they have posted if anyone is interested in making one!

Rich

Kudos

...to whoever invented this:



Honestly, I think the Baby Bjorn is the best invention since...I don't know, the microwave maybe? Or the car?

No description needed

Pet peeves...

1. Protecting yourself from the sun. All it took was one skin cancer lecture my first year of med school, and I haven't laid out in the sun since. I cover myself with sunscreen religiously, and encourage anyone I'm with to do the same. And it drives me crazy to see people at the beach laying out in the sun, almost naked and bright red. One in three people will get skin cancer in their lifetime, and having fair skin increases your chances.

2. Motor vehicle safety, i.e. placing your infant in a rear-facing child seat until at least 12 months of age and 20 pounds, and a forward-facing child seat until at least 6 years of age and 60 pounds. Furthermore, don't place your child under 12 years of age in the front seat (air bags kill kids!), and use a child seat with a 5-point harness (not a booster seat with an adult seat belt) until your child is at least 40 pounds.

3. Proofread what you write. Spelling and grammatical errors drive me crazy. (However, I do know that I am not completely exempt from making them occasionally. I am, after all, not completely perfect... ;)

4. Don't waste food. For whatever reason, I can't seem to throw away food until it is obviously too old to eat.

5. Letting your cell phone ring and interrupt church/lectures/conversations/etc.

6. Lateness. I can't stand being late, but I don't mind it as much in others.

7. Eating in front of people without offering the other person some (I mean, that's just plain rude).

Today I decided to get my car washed...

But first I had to clean it out...and yes, all of this was it in. And I did say car, not moving van.

Don't let the plethera of kid stuff - the stroller, snuggli, baby formula, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, etc. - fool you, I don't actually have kids, even though I do spend a lot of time with them.

My car looks great now, although I'm still getting used to how well I can see out the windows when I drive. ;-)

Beauty for Ashes?

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me...to grant consolation & joy to those who mourn in Zion - to give them a garland of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, & failing spirit - that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." Isaiah 61.1 & 3

These past several years have been so difficult in so many ways. If I could have known three years ago at the start of medical school, or five years ago when I started at Westmont, where I would be today, I don't think I could have handled it. In fact, I know I couldn't have. There is a reason we cannot see or know what the future holds. At this point, consider how the past few years have been, I wouldn't want to know the future even if I could. I keep waiting for the "beauty for ashes", to see how this puzzle fits together, to figure out the why of all this pain. But I may never know this side of heaven, and things may never get any better or easier...Which is kind of hard to swallow

Things I like

In no particular order...

Rain. My kittens. The beach. My car. Chocolate. My house (condo). My family. Babies. Sleeping. My church. Friends. My watermelon bowls. Picture frames. Babysitting. Decorating my house. Shopping. Coffee Bean. Buying new clothes. Playing games. Starbucks. Drawing and painting (sort of. I'm not really very good at either). Phase 10. Driving. Blankets. Old Navy. Santa Barbara. Getting my car washed. Christmas trees. Pictures. Music. Fireworks. Flying. Dancing. Christmas lights. My digital camera. My Bible (which, incidentally, I stole (borrowed?) from my church after mine was stolen when my car was broken into last March!). Having company. Shoes. Journals. My guest book. Weddings. Children's books. Dresses. Candles. Miniature golfing. Grey's Anatomy. Reading (sometimes. Only if it's a really good book). Bowling. Watching movies with my sisters. Buying things for my cats. My air conditioner. Pens (of any kind, really). Organization. My garden. Children. Buying things for people. Jigsaw puzzles (as long as they're not missing any pieces...that drives me crazy for whatever reason!). Roller coasters. Dolphins. Baby showers. Furniture.

(I was having a bad day, not for any particular reason, so I figured maybe thinking of all the things I love would make me feel better. Hmm, that should do for now.)

Summer...

This summer my time has primarily been occupied by an internship I have been doing at Kids Come First, a medical clinic for uninsured or underinsured children. When I finish this, I will be completely finished with my MPH in global health. I have also been busy with WorldWorks, as I was part of a Leadership Practice team for the past three months (that finished the last weekend of July). We worked with a homeless shelter for families in Corona, and put on several "Kids' Days", on-site carnivals of sorts. Pictures below.
I have continued working three afternoons/evenings a week with autistic children, and I've started going to a Bible study on Friday nights. So far I've only been to one, but I liked it a lot and plan to keep going.
Lastly, I've been babysitting a ton these past couple of weeks. Lots of fun, but a little tiring too.

Ice Cream Flavor

Your Ice Cream Personality:

You are an incredibly modest person. You don't feel comfortable bragging about yourself... or even receiving complements. You have a wild reputation, but you're not as wild as you seem. You take risks, but only measured risks. You are a somewhat open minded person, but deep down you're fairly conservative. You don't like trying new things very much. And if you do find something new you like, you stick with it. You are a natural multitasker. You feel alive when you're doing more than one thing at a time. You are fun loving and sweet. You tend to enjoy joking around and teasing people.

The Ice Cream Personality Test

Special Prayers Needed

I've been following the story of sweet Hadley Fox, a little 7-year-old who has been battling a brain tumor for more than four years now. Recently, this family received devastating news from Hadley's MRI - her tumors are growing, and they are out of treatment options. Please pray for Hadley and her family during this time, and visit Hadley's page and leave a note for them in the guestbook. Hadley has two little brothers, who are 6 and 4, and I can only imagine this must be very difficult for them too.

Praising God through the hard times

These past two weeks have been hard...not for any particular reason, just in general. Yesterday I was really struggling with how to stop feeling so down and depressed, and I sensed God saying, "Praise me in spite of the difficult times". Even though it is hard to want to praise God when things aren't going the way I want them to, it can make all the difference in the world. In fact, it is really the only way to get through tough times. My first inclination is usually to pull away from God in anger whenever things don't go my way, but I have to remember that I don't have to feel like praising God in order to do it, and He really does have my best interest at heart.

Suffering...

Why is there such suffering in the world? Why is life so hard?
I'd been struggling with these thoughts, and just generally been feeling depressed, when I stumbled upon the following:

"He is sovereign...I trust God's reasons. I love Him (because He first loved me) and I am committed to trusting His unknown reasons. I praise You, Lord, for what is unknown to me. You know all, You love and have chosen me, therefore Your decisions for my life are acts of provision and love. You are always right and just. I worship You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Help me to be so trusting, Lord.

Tragic accident - Prayers please

This morning on the radio on my way to work I heard something very sad. Yesterday Steven Curtis Chapman's little five-year-old daughter, Maria, who they adopted from China, got run over and killed in their driveway at about 5pm. Their older son, Will, was driving their SUV and couldn't see Maria and ran over her. The whole thing is just so heart-breaking...that little girl was so loved and wanted. Please pray for the family.

Five...

What I was doing 10 yrs ago: May 1998...I was 15 years old...finishing my freshman year of highschool. I was an AWANA Cubbies leader, sang in a choir, and played sports as well as serving as a junior coach for the 5-7 year old age group. And I really don't remember a whole lot else...

Five things on my to do list for today: 1. Clean my car 2. Take out the kitchen trash 3. Play with my kittens 4. Vacuum 5. Exercise

Things I would do if I were a billionaire: 1. Pay off my home and school loans 2. Take a trip to Europe 3. Give money to charities I am passionate about...children's cancer research, autism, my church... 4. Buy a new car 5. Invest some of it

Three of my bad habits: 1. Making assumptions 2. Procrastinating 3. Being too self-centered

Five places I have lived: 1. San Jose, California 2. Santa Barbara, California 3. Hemet, California 4. Colton, California 5. And that's it.

Five jobs I have had: 1. Babysitter/Nanny 2. Piano teacher 3. Doctor's office receptionist 4. Teacher for autistic children 5. Biochemistry research assistant

Romans 8

Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"
Isn't this a powerful verse? I've been meditating on Romans 8 for the past month or so, and am really trying to take this verse (and the rest of the passage) to heart. We are completely forgiven and free in Christ. I struggle so much with condemning myself for every little thing I do (or don't do), that I often fail to experience Christ's acceptance and grace. I feel like it's a balance though, between being conscious of my sin and yet not weighing myself down with guilt. I am already completely acceptable and pleasing to God, because of Christ's death on the cross and forgiveness for my sin. Now I just have to figure out how to accept myself...

This week...

Has been kind of exhausting. I was out of town last weekend, and just feel like I have so much to catch up on from the past couple weeks. And I haven't been sleeping that well...

Yesterday I tried going to Fox to work on some stuff, but only lasted about an hour, and then went home and took a nap. Then I worked late afternoon/evening. I go back and forth these days between work being a "have to" or a "get to". I love my job, honestly I do, it's just sometimes I am so tired in the late afternoon/evening, and especially as it gets toward 8:30 I am just ready to be done.

Butterscotch caught a bird yesterday morning, which made me sad. But I think it was okay, because the bird flew away when I wasn't looking. Butterscotch and Caramel are indoor only cats, but occasionally I let Butterscotch play on the porch when she wants to...well, not any more though!

What is a vision for your life worth the challenge and discomfort of redesign?

Honestly, right now, I'm not sure. So often, I find myself thinking things like, I want a deeper relationship with God. I want more meaningful relationships with other Christians. I want more purpose and meaning in my life in general. And yet when I actually sit down to make changes in my life, like setting aside more time to spend with God, or making choices for more conscious activities in my life, it is often so much easier not to make these choices, and to just continue doing exactly what I've been doing, living my life exactly the way I have. I guess that is why my life never seems to change. Because I choose for it not to.

What is a life worth living?

I've been pondering this question, since someone asked me it yesterday morning...What is a life worth living? A life lived for Christ and one that brings him honor and glory, yes, most definitely, but what does that actually look like? And what else? What do I really want in this life?
Whenever anyone asks me some variation of this question, I always (if I know the person well enough) say that there are really only three things I want...to be a doctor, to get married, and to have children...things that sometimes (often) seem so out of reach. Anything else that when I was younger I might have wanted I now either have or it is no longer important...I own a house (condo), which was one of my goals when I was a senior in college (although that seems relatively unimportant now in the grand sceme of things), I attend an amazing, Biblically-sound church (which is very important), and I have a number of close, Christian friends (yes, still important). But I guess other things just seem more...lifelong, ya know? Oh yeah, and I have an absolutely amazing family, but I guess I've always kind of taken that for granted, since I grew up with that.
I guess what I should really focus on is a closer relationship with Christ, because nothing else besides Him can truly satisfy...and He will show me how the other pieces of my life should fit into place...