currently

gearing up for a crazy last half of the semester.
chaos.

life.

blessings.

short visits with family.

a clever small-town "terror" maze.

long drives.

watching a certain someone run cross country. 

work.

papers, projects, exams, and evals.

bedtime routine: reading a couple chapters of the mitford series.

observing therapy.

empty fields and dwindling leaves.

one of the last warm streaks of the year.

on and off fever.

figuring out life. or..at least accepting that we can't.
finding order.

re-learning how to pray.
1 peter, 2 peter, 1 john.
jason gray- good to be alive.

new coldplay album coming out tomorrow.

to do list the length of an elephant's trunk.

sunday nap time.

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness

October

The beginning of October is consistently the time when the leaves are at their best. The red, yellow, and gold have definitely started their gradual take over of the green. The green is doing it's best to hang on, and is surprisingly succeeding. The tree outside my window, however, is beautiful, crisp gold. I feel so lucky to have such a "view" from my apartment window. Most have parking lots or a street. What do I have? A tree! Well...with a parking lot in the background. But still, I enjoy it. 

This weekend was spent driving down to Kansas City for a Vikings vs. Chiefs game. Driving by the colorful hills of Missouri and the time spent with friends (and eating BBQ) made for a great, unforgettable weekend. 

Now, once again, it's Monday and back to reality =)

This week and the next two to follow will be quite busy. There's a lot to think about, and unfortunately I think studying is going to keep me inside more than I would like to be. The forecast says 80 degrees all week...what? For now, I'll sit at my desk working away at homework, occasionally getting distracted, and remembering this:

Matthew 6:31-34: So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has trouble of its own.

falling

I seriously cannot stop talking about how much I love fall. 

It's busy, it's hectic, school threatens to drag me down into the deep, dark, depths of depression. Okay, so maybe that last line was a bit of an exaggeration. But really, it's a busy, crazy season. I'm spending 14 hours in class a week, observing therapy sessions about 4 hours a week, and working about 25 hours a week. The rest is spent trying to keep up (or should I say catch up) on homework and assignments. It's crazy. BUT fall makes it so worth it. The moments that I open my window and smell fall (and try to ignore the seasonal allergies), the moments that I can sneak a short walk or a run, and yes, even the moments that I spend sitting at my desk doing homework with a candle burning are worth it. 

This weekend, my best friend/boyfriend came up to Mankato. We've both been busy and a bit overwhelmed with school and decided we needed a fun weekend. So, we ate out at a fun pizza parlor downtown (you can draw on the tables), we bowled, we went to an apple orchard and attempted to make apple turnovers and applesauce out of the apples, we made a delicious supper, watched a movie, went to church, ate lunch, and walked outside at Minneopa State Park. Whoa! Busy, but fun. It was good. So good. Fall is wonderful. I dread the day when it's too cold to stroll outside comfortably. Maybe I'm not meant to be a Minnesotan. But let's not think about the cold quite yet. Until that day comes, I'm soaking in every color-changing leaf, every breath-taking view from the hilltop, and every moment of solitude that I can. Nothing beats fall. Oh, and cornbread muffins fresh out of the oven.

P.S. Someone got a new camera, but I won't tell you who. It's not a professional one by any means, and not even close. It is, however, an upgrade from the free digital one I have been using. Now just to learn how to manually operate it =)

Darkness

In the midst of darkness...

We live in light.

1 Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession,, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Balmy Weather and Cancelled Classes

Mondays. Let's face it, they're Mondays.

However, today I enjoyed:
1. My second class of the day (2 hours long) got cancelled!
2. A run with my uncommon spare time. Perfect weather and beautiful down and up hill trek.
3. Oriental Stir Fry. Mmm.
4. A re-organized room. It feels so good to have everything in it's place.
5. Enjoyed the 70 degree weather. It felt SO good after nearly a week of chilly temperatures.
6. Got the night off of work and enjoyed supper with good friends =)
7. Drank lots of water. Mmm.

Mondays aren't always so bad.

Thought of the day.

Sometimes the answer is...that there isn't one.