Knitting & Chi

There are just two things I've deemed blog-worthy this morning. First, I've started knitting again. This time, though, I've decided to go a bit more fancy and bought some circular knitting needles. Ooooh!

My hope is that this will turn into a comfy cowl, and if all goes well, I want to make a bunch of them and start an Etsy shop to sell them. Anybody out there want a hand-made, alpaca wool cowl???

Secondly, and you'll only understand this if you've hung out on my balcony, but there's been some landscaping changes at the store that is essentially my front yard. Before, it was just a bunch of trash... but now we have pretty trees!

You have no idea how happy this makes me! And it has greatly improved the apartment's chi. ;)

SDG

Funny Conversations from Yesterday

The Zombie Apocalypse
Text conversation between me and Kate--

Kate: Hey, where are you?
Me: Babysitting.
Kate: Ohhhh. I was wondering why you were up so early.
Me: Yep. You know I wouldn't be up at 7 of my own volition!
Kate: I figured you either had to babysit or the zombie apocalypse was set to begin today, and you awoke to prepare.
Me: Well, if it were the latter, I would have at least warned you so you could prepare also.
Kate: We will be ready when the day comes.


The Wisdom of Children
Conversation with a 3-year-old girl--

3-year-old: My boyfriend, Connor, gets on my nerves, so bad!
Me: Oh, well, maybe he shouldn't be your boyfriend anymore.
3-year-old: No, I think he still wants to be.
Me: Ahhh. Okay, then. Well, why does he get on your nerves?
3-year-old: Because I love him!

SDG

Catch Me If You Can

You won't have forever to make up you mind
You won't have forever but, baby, take your time
I know the game you're playing
I've known it from the start
I know you didn't mean to
But you've shown me all your cards

I am waiting patiently
At least as patient as I can
But I won't wait forever, darlin'
Catch me if you can

As familiar to me as an old, favorite book
Worn, torn, and tear-stained pages
Tell more than words with just one look
If you were a song,
I would call you Solomon
Too damn wise for your own good

I am waiting patiently
At least as patient as I can
But I won't wait forever, darlin'
Catch me if you can

"Freewill is not our choice," I turn to you and say
You reply, "What does it matter, babe?
"The matter exists in the same state"
We can't look inside
It could be dead or alive
I'm not convinced it's both at the same time

SDG

Little Things

Things that make me happy right now:

Listening to music that reminds me of my childhood
Anticipating my next trip to the library and the books I've planned to check out
Wearing jeans to work
Going to yoga this week

SDG

Misconceptions & Ramblings on Love

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends...." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV)

Read that again. No, really read it. I feel like this is one of the passages of Scripture that we skim over and are all like, "Yeah, yeah. I know this one. Love is good. Happy thoughts. La dee la," and then move on. There's so much more there, though!

What this says to me is that loving someone is hard. It's not something you simply "fall" into. Love is a choice, a decision, an action, a series of actions. Love doesn't go away when it is not reciprocated, when it is not appreciated, when it is not accepted. Love is not all butterflies and good times. Love is selfless. Love is painful. Loving someone basically guarantees a broken heart.

Is it worth it?

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." (1 John 4:7-12 ESV

Jesus loved us. That love wasn't easy. In fact, it meant His death. But we love others out of a response for God's love for us, no matter what that love looks like. To quote Chris Martin, no body said it was easy.
SDG

Mostly Pictures of My Dog

I went to visit my parents today... and when I say "visit my parents," I really mean "visit my dog." I hate so much that she can't stay with me in Hattiesburg, but I know she has a blast roaming 40 acres of land, chasing deer, and playing with her dog buddies. Maybe one day when I have a house and a yard, she can live with me again.

I got to see how the house was coming along, too, and then Daddy and I went in search of black berries. I was determined to leave with as many as possible, despite the fact I was walking the four wheeler trails in flip flops. It was worth it. I found some of the juiciest black berries I've ever had! I even found some animal (wild pig, maybe??) remains and pretty flowers.

I took pictures. Enjoy.

SDG

Lately

Posting has been sporadic lately because my computer has been broken for a few months now, and the only time I'm on the internet is when I'm at work (yes, I'm blogging at work). My camera is also broken which means I rarely have pictures I want to post either. Nonetheless, I figured it was time for an update.

I've graduated and now have a Master's degree. It's odd thinking about how that phase in my life has already come and gone so quickly.

I'm still on the job hunt, but I've taken up another part-time gig to help fill in the gaps, both in my wallet and my schedule. I have sooo much free time now! I literally don't know what to do with it all. Add this to my recent decision to have the cable/internet disconnected from my apartment, and I get days spent by the pool devouring books (the library sees a lot of me) and evenings of randomness with friends. The job will have me working a lot of weekends, which means trips to Tupelo will be few and far between, unfortunately.

I'm getting a new roommate! This is part of the reason for the no cable/internet decision. New roommate a.k.a. Kate doesn't move in til the end of July; therefore, I get to handle all of the utilities by myself! Joy.... I'm also relearning how to live alone. I did for about a month or two when I first moved to Hattiesburg, but at least then I had school to keep me occupied. Yeah, so... the free time.

A lot has changed in such a short amount of time. Life is funny, but I've come to accept that I don't have to have it figured out. I know I never will have it figured out, and there's freedom in that. I'm happy. I like having free afternoons to bask in the sun. I like that I have to be more creative to entertain myself. God's using this time in my life to prepare me for the next step. I don't need to know what that step is, I just need to trust that it's there.
SDG