Monday, September 5, 2011
Fall is coming...
Today is the first actual fall-feeling day we've had and it's only the first week of September!
I realize that this bliss will more than likely not last and that we will plunge back into scorching temperatures again once the real fall weather is supposed to arrive, but I'm enjoying it while I can.
I have a long mental list that I wanted to make note of.
Autumn festivities that I want to accomplish this season:
Plant mums in the window boxes.
Make a wreath for our front door.
Carve pumpkins.
Make cider.
Cook with lots and lots of pumpkin, squashes, and spices.
Go to an apple orchard and use those apples to make homemade applesauce.
Wear lots of scarves.
Bike bike bike!
Go on a short backpacking trip.
Stay warm by the what? WOOD BURNING FIREPLACE!
Bonfires at the parent's house.
....and many other things that I can't think of now, but will hopefully remember before it's winter and it's too cold to do anything but curl up on the couch.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Primrose
So.... on Thursday Corbin and I closed on our first house!
It's so weird being a homeowner, especially since I don't get to live there yet.
It's been great, though, getting to finally decorate a space however I want.... thankfully Corbin and I have very similar taste.
I must admit, it has been difficult for me to be patient throughout this whole process considering that now that we have a house, I can't stay there yet.
This has definitely made me very excited about marriage.
All in good time, though.
The painting, the lifting, the clutter, the dirt, and the spills have all made for quite an experience.
We were able to get most all of our furniture into the house in a small uhaul and everything is still on one piece, so I'm very fortunate for that.
Anyway, here is a picture of Corbin and I in front of the house.
I'll probably post some pictures on the Fbook once I have some just so people can see.
I'm already in love with the house.
It's so weird being a homeowner, especially since I don't get to live there yet.
It's been great, though, getting to finally decorate a space however I want.... thankfully Corbin and I have very similar taste.
I must admit, it has been difficult for me to be patient throughout this whole process considering that now that we have a house, I can't stay there yet.
This has definitely made me very excited about marriage.
All in good time, though.
The painting, the lifting, the clutter, the dirt, and the spills have all made for quite an experience.
We were able to get most all of our furniture into the house in a small uhaul and everything is still on one piece, so I'm very fortunate for that.
Anyway, here is a picture of Corbin and I in front of the house.
I'll probably post some pictures on the Fbook once I have some just so people can see.
I'm already in love with the house.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
2400 Miles West
About two months ago I was talking to Kaylyn on Skype and we joked around about how great it would be if I flew out to Seattle to visit her. Just for kicks, I went on Southwest.com to look at tickets and to my surprise they were very reasonable. With very little thought, I went for it and bought two non-refundable tickets to Seattle.
I took the day-long, two plane ride journey to Seattle about two weeks ago and I must say, if I ever have the opportunity to take a spontaneous trip like that again I definitely will. I'm not usually the type of person that says "I need this," but I really needed that trip. It was one of the best weeks I've had in a long time. Before I left, I was stressed about finding a house and a job and trying to act normal while I planned a wedding basically by myself. I'm not too girly, so how the heck am I supposed to know what to do in that department?!
Anyway, Seattle was amazing. The weather was cool and windy, but we had some gorgeous sunny days too and each day was different. Kaylyn and I woke up every morning to tea and breakfast, then would plan something to do during the day, then end the night with cooking or ordering in and watching as many movies as our eyes could handle before passing out. We went to Pike's Place Market, went to two different amazing parks, had a spa-like girly day, shopped, and, my favorite, drove to the Cascade Mountains.
This was my favorite day of the whole week. Two hours of great music and we were literally surrounded by feet and feet of snow and gigantic mountains. It was like we traveled across the world, but it was just next door. At the base of the mountain, I wanted to take pictures, so we stopped at this empty lot and explored around. It was amazing. Tall cedar trees that smelled of Christmas and wet moss adorning every plant. It was an entire ecosystem in one tiny lot. I loved it!
Coming home was good, yet an odd adjustment from the free feeling of being so far removed from everything. It has been an adventure, though. Although I've been sick, Corbin and I are in the process of purchasing our first home and I finally feel that I have a plan for my life career-wise. I don't feel stressed and I wake up feeling excited and at peace about everything. I honestly was unsure of when this feeling would come back. I'm so grateful that it has! This year is going to be a good one.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
In Response To
Sitting on the couch in the morning reading other people's blog postings, I have come to realize that I am not alone.
Reading about being down on oneself or trying to find the Spirit of God and having one's head filled with negative and anxiety has made me realize that my problems are no greater than anyone else's.
And... oddly enough, it's extremely comforting.
I think that being human leads us all to believe that our battles are our own and that "no one understands" or "I'm all alone" and "it's no big deal, I can handle it."
FALSE.
I am over accepting all of this negativity and settling for mediocrity!
We are called to live a radical life and although I'm still learning what exactly that means, we need to stop living in our sin and problems and focus on better more brighter things.
Ever since I first got sick almost three years ago (wow, how times flies...), I have really battled with negativity and depression. The first year that I was sick there was rarely a day when I wouldn't cry or I would have something positive to think about. I was literally living in my own filth and each day I was slowly crawling out of my skin. Since then I have recovered for the most part, yes, but I still am dealing with the aftermath and it's definitely a challenge. My dad always tells me that he thinks no one could handle this situation better than I do, but what he doesn't realize is that secretly I still struggle. I often wonder why me because I'm so pitiful and negative about it. Whenever I'm not feeling well it's literally, as I describe, like someone is putting pressure on the "happy thought" portion of my brain, so it's virtually unable to think pleasant thoughts.
You suck, Liz.
Your life....HA! it's lame.
You're boring.
Where are your friends? Do you have...any?
Forget being attractive, you're weak.
What's your purpose?
All plaguing thoughts that come into my head from time to time.
But! I've learned that when this happens it's a test. A product of my illness or whatever you want to call it.
I AM strong. Why?
Because I have God... even though I often forget.
This summer an odd occurrence happened. I like to call it my breakthrough.
I never truly understood or fully believed that someone could actually be attacked by the devil, but after one Sunday it became very real to me. I went to church, Corbin came over and I was in a bad mood for some reason (probably from evil thoughts!), so he left. I was in the house by myself literally whispering negative thoughts under my breath while I made some guacamole. Once I was done making it, I reached out to grab the bowl and I accidentally knocked it off the counter and watched it shatter into a million pieces onto the floor. Instantly I started screaming. It was seriously the craziest thing. A bowl fell onto the floor and broke and I completely lost control. My mind opened up to evil and I couldn't fight it. I was literally screaming and crying so much at this point I almost threw up. I felt hot, under attack and started grabbing at my head. What the heck is going on?! I thought. It was like something was on me I couldn't shake off. I ran into my dad's office and literally hid under his desk screaming for the demon to go away. Shaking, I ran outside and hid in my car. THEN is where God came in and defeated all. I realized after that day that evil is real and we ARE in battle.
This illness that has plagued the human race has got to go! 2011 is a year for winning. A year to be strong and not let the enemy take hold of us. So, after letting the digital world know all of these secrets that I probably shouldn't tell, I just want to say that even though we all suffer and feel some days that we have the world on our shoulders, just know that the ruler of the universe has chosen each and every one of us for something bigger that we could never even imagine. And THAT is something to smile about.
Reading about being down on oneself or trying to find the Spirit of God and having one's head filled with negative and anxiety has made me realize that my problems are no greater than anyone else's.
And... oddly enough, it's extremely comforting.
I think that being human leads us all to believe that our battles are our own and that "no one understands" or "I'm all alone" and "it's no big deal, I can handle it."
FALSE.
I am over accepting all of this negativity and settling for mediocrity!
We are called to live a radical life and although I'm still learning what exactly that means, we need to stop living in our sin and problems and focus on better more brighter things.
Ever since I first got sick almost three years ago (wow, how times flies...), I have really battled with negativity and depression. The first year that I was sick there was rarely a day when I wouldn't cry or I would have something positive to think about. I was literally living in my own filth and each day I was slowly crawling out of my skin. Since then I have recovered for the most part, yes, but I still am dealing with the aftermath and it's definitely a challenge. My dad always tells me that he thinks no one could handle this situation better than I do, but what he doesn't realize is that secretly I still struggle. I often wonder why me because I'm so pitiful and negative about it. Whenever I'm not feeling well it's literally, as I describe, like someone is putting pressure on the "happy thought" portion of my brain, so it's virtually unable to think pleasant thoughts.
You suck, Liz.
Your life....HA! it's lame.
You're boring.
Where are your friends? Do you have...any?
Forget being attractive, you're weak.
What's your purpose?
All plaguing thoughts that come into my head from time to time.
But! I've learned that when this happens it's a test. A product of my illness or whatever you want to call it.
I AM strong. Why?
Because I have God... even though I often forget.
This summer an odd occurrence happened. I like to call it my breakthrough.
I never truly understood or fully believed that someone could actually be attacked by the devil, but after one Sunday it became very real to me. I went to church, Corbin came over and I was in a bad mood for some reason (probably from evil thoughts!), so he left. I was in the house by myself literally whispering negative thoughts under my breath while I made some guacamole. Once I was done making it, I reached out to grab the bowl and I accidentally knocked it off the counter and watched it shatter into a million pieces onto the floor. Instantly I started screaming. It was seriously the craziest thing. A bowl fell onto the floor and broke and I completely lost control. My mind opened up to evil and I couldn't fight it. I was literally screaming and crying so much at this point I almost threw up. I felt hot, under attack and started grabbing at my head. What the heck is going on?! I thought. It was like something was on me I couldn't shake off. I ran into my dad's office and literally hid under his desk screaming for the demon to go away. Shaking, I ran outside and hid in my car. THEN is where God came in and defeated all. I realized after that day that evil is real and we ARE in battle.
This illness that has plagued the human race has got to go! 2011 is a year for winning. A year to be strong and not let the enemy take hold of us. So, after letting the digital world know all of these secrets that I probably shouldn't tell, I just want to say that even though we all suffer and feel some days that we have the world on our shoulders, just know that the ruler of the universe has chosen each and every one of us for something bigger that we could never even imagine. And THAT is something to smile about.
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