five things I love

Today was a happy, beautiful Monday and I have so much to be thankful for in my life at the moment. It has me giddy. So I thought I'd share a few things.

1. Tackling HTML Dilemmas
I have been trying to find the proper tutorial for editing the font of the page tabs here on blogger. After months of struggling, I received some help from the lovely Kelly Ann of The Flowerchild Dwelling. & I am eternally grateful! She saved me from what I'm sure would have been several more months of frustration. I also recently discovered how to edit the font of post titles thanks to a nifty little tutorial provided by Kevin and Amanda.


2. Chile Trip
In six days- SIX DAYS- I'll be leaving for LA where I will then board an aircraft to enjoy a 17-hour flight. EEP-- I'm so excited! Not for the plane ride necessarily, but certainly for the fact I'll be in South America for about ten days. "It's like America... but South." <--- Pixar reference. Anyway... I'll be gone until the end of June on a mission trip to Chile. While there I'll be helping to restore a Christian children’s camp called Alé Alé after the devastating earthquake that hit this past February, as well as putting on a sports camp, a block party and other projects. I can't wait for the adventure to begin. I'll be staying in a community with several hundred people who live in houses that aren't insulated and share about three toilets that I'm told aren't much more than a hole. Plus, it's winter there. But I'm so ready to leave this 110 degree heat and swap it for cold, rainy weather. Do me a grand favor and please, PLEASE keep our team in your prayers.

 3. Savers
Today consisted of a trip to Savers- it's sorta like Goodwill, only better and without the horrible smell (in my opinion). I purchased about ten items of clothing for less than thirty bucks. Sweet success! Since we're planning on keeping most of our clothes in Chile for the Chilean people, I needed to do a bit of shopping. And everything I purchased today was cute stuff, let me tell you. I will definitely be visiting again, and very soon.



4. Monsoon Season
Here in Arizona we have what is known as monsoon season and it's officially begun. It consists of high winds, dust and severe downpours. It's fantastic-- at least for those who are a fan of stormy weather. It's truly a beautiful thing and the lightning storms are epic. You haven't seen true lightning until you've lived in Arizona. The air smells of rain, only better if you ask me. The sky turns a pretty brown. It's indescribable. If I could bottle it up and send it to you, I would. Let's just say monsoon season is the highlight of summer in Arizona. I just wish we could skip the 110+ degree weather.


Picture: Lindsey and I in Sedona a few years ago.
5. Meetings at Starbucks
A few years ago a friend of mine, Lindsey, approached me when my first relationship ended badly. She had recently ended a bad relationship as well. At the time we figured we had a lot in common, so we started meeting up at Starbucks to chat. We'd first met in junior high. We were in band together- she played the flute/drums & I played clarinet- and I can remember going to her house for a sleepover. In high school we didn't share any classes but always said "hello" when we passed each other in the hallway. It wasn't until I was a freshman in college and her a senior in high school (I graduated high school a year early) that we started meeting up at Starbucks every so often just to talk and discuss our lives. Today she is one of my best friends and we still go to Starbucks for our usual discussions. Most of our conversations always lead to what God is doing in our lives and it always turn out to be a wonderful time of fellowship. We are constantly encouraging one other and learning from the other. I'm thankful for those moments. Over the years I have referred to her as my therapist. She's been there for me through many tough times in my life and I'm so, so thankful. God speaks to me so much through her-- always. It's truly a magical thing. Who would have thought from our crappy relationships that it would end in a blessed friendship? It goes back to my life motto: From all bad, comes good. ★

What are you currently loving, readers?