Today

I dropped someone off at the airport today to fly out to Chicago. His papers said: Travel- Special Mission. This will most likely be the first of many similar journeys. I'm proud of him.

December

Yes, I know it's December, and not Thanksgiving, but this is what I feel like today!


Things to be thankful for:
1. A light, first of December dusting of snow. (Yes, it's hard to believe, but I'm enjoying it!)
2. Prayer. And being able to pray anytime, anywhere. 
3. Crossing things off the list. Although there's still a lot left, I'm seeing the light.
4. Pandora. No Christmas music for this girl, but chill, relaxing, new tunes. 
5. It's the week before finals week (really, it's like there's two finals weeks), but I'm getting enough done and having a little time to relax and enjoy.
6. Dressing up twice three times this week (dress pants, cardigans, scarves, and colors) to interview people. Ooh, and being easy on the hair. The messy bun/knot + freshly cut bangs. Happy.
7. A great weekend plan ahead of me =)
8. Potlucks and free food this week...not having to take time to cook and using that time to do homework instead!
9. Finding humor in things that would normally be upsetting. 
10. Seeing/hearing from people I haven't seen all year. 
11. Good, sincere hugs. 
12. Great friends.


Things I should work on ;):
1. Getting the dishes out of the sink and into the dishwasher
2. Taking some pictures so my blog posts aren't as boring. (Ooh, and getting more of a wintery theme).
3. Getting off the computer and sorting laundry. I was just in a blog-writing mood...so avoidance of this is acceptable in my book ;)
4. Oh yeah, and I should probably get going to my LAST class of the semester! Even better, my LAST class of my last fall semester of undergrad! Yes, it is a big deal. At least to me. ;)
5. Not using so many winky-faces. 


Happy December!

a walk in the dark

tonight, i found peace while walking home in darkness.

a long, bustling, busy, crazy, day (yes, that was redundant).

but tonight, walking home...it was quiet. still. dark. peaceful. 

solitude. yes.

November 17th

Just trying to figure it all out and not get lost along the way.

It's been a pretty crazy month (as you can tell by my blogging...or lack thereof), and it's not promising to get any calmer. The semester is nearing the end, which means one thing- the workload is towering over me like a giant mountain. Not only do I need to finish the semester in good standing, but grad-school/life-decisions are knocking on the door. I know I can't do this alone. At least not in the best way possible. I'm so thankful for these promises:

Proverbs 16:3- Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
Jeremiah 29:13- You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Colossians 3:23- Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
Psalm 131: 2- But I have calmed myself and quieted my ambitions. I am like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child I am content.
Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

I know that whatever happens this semester, whatever happens next semester, and wherever I end up next year...if I commit it to the Lord and trust him with the outcome, I'll be exactly where I need to be, doing exactly what I need to be doing. It's hard at times. It's painful. It requires a lot of trust. But I know he'll be there for me. When all else fails- when I fail, when people fail, when plans fail...I still have him. And he keeps me on the ground.

Despite the challenge of it all, It has been a great month. It truly has. The weather has been absolutely beautiful for November. Although the first snow is bound to be nearby, I am thankful for what we have had so far. God is good, life is good, and yes, I'm even thankful for challenges.

Thank you, Dad.

1. Remember who's you are.
2. Don't get bitter, get better.
3. One thing at a time.

Words.

Some lessons learned, we learn the hard way. -Melody Gardot (and countless others)

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.

day. over.

ever had a day where you get home for the evening and you are so tired that you don't even want to hit the shift key and use capital letters and proper grammar and you write really long run on sentences? that's me. yup. class, big exam, class, second day in a row of five hours at work training the new staff (wearing business casual clothes..yeah, i'm not used to that). i grabbed a bowl of cookies and cream ice cream (don't worry, i'll run it off tomorrow morning) and my laptop and propped my feet up. yay for the end of the day.

BUT

it was a good day. i woke up to the chilly fall air creeping through my open window. bliss. i read matthew 24. i wore jeans and an olive green 3/4 length sleeve shirt. i had soup for lunch. i had time in between my exam and next class, so i sat behind the bell tower on our gorgeous campus. the fall breeze mixed with leftover summer sun was so...refreshing. the quiet (yes, quiet in mankato!) afternoon hour was so wonderful. i got jason gray's new cd. i was reminded at how awesome freelance whales are. i heard that we're in a freeze warning. (WAIT. what was that??) okay. so maybe i'm not too thrilled about that. but i am thrilled about the fact that I'm leaving my window open tonight and that means i can curl up under a million blankets. mmm. that's my favorite. and you know what makes it the best day?? i'm going to bed right now. goodnight world. until tomorrow, hannahbrooke. 


p.s. yes, that photo is terrible quality. i took it on my phone. it looks beautiful on my phone screen. i promise. 

September 11th, 2011.

Ten years ago I didn't understand. 

Now, I do.

Somehow it hit me more today how big of a tragedy this was for our nation. And not only our nation, but the world. The widespread effect that one day in history had on our world shocks me. As a 5th grader sitting in my classroom when I heard the news, I had no idea that ten years from that day the world would be this way. I had no idea that we'd still be at war. I had no idea what it even really meant. It's painful. It's haunting. It's terrifying. We live in a dark world. It's a reminder that we are not in control. It makes me so thankful to know someone who is. Someone who has always been there for us, even in the darkest places. Someone who will continue to be with us, no matter the situation. I am thankful. 

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them: for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.

Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 56: 3-4 When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

Falling into September

-The leaves turning colors and crunching under my feet as I walk in the crisp air. 
-The crops turning colors. 
-Driving from Mankato to Mountain Lake.
-Driving through town with the windows down.
-Gravel roads. You just gotta do it. 
-Sunny days with green grass, blue skies, and a vibrant mix of colors.
-Wearing jeans again and starting to pull out the long sleeves.
-The smell of apple candles burning in early fall and cinnamon in late fall. 
-Starting the nightly routine of hot chocolate.
-Walking. Yep, walking. Anywhere. All the time. It's fall and it just feels...good.
-Studying outside...or reading when I want to avoid studying =)
-Sleeping with the windows open. 
-The tree outside my window...can't wait until the leaves change color!
-Changing music playlists...Melody Gardot (new to me), old Norah Jones, and when I feel like it, country. yep. 
-Sitting outside and writing. With pen and paper. Or writing at my desk with the lamp on. 
-The smell. Yes, fall does have a smell. 
-Sometimes I wish fall lasted all year.

Just a post..

Blogging.
I don't know how to do it.
I read other blogs, gaze at their beautiful pictures and put together lives.
Me? Well...I still use a camera I got for free my Jr. Year of high school (I wish that wasn't the case..) and I see my ramblings as far from being put together as can be.


But for some reason I want to write. Write whatever I have to say...for whatever reason I feel like writing it.
And for now, I'm not going public with it. If someone stumbles upon this somehow, have fun reading it I guess.
But right now, this is me. Me and my imperfect blog and thoughts. =)


I'm sitting here in my 3rd and final year at MSU- Mankato. I'll be graduating in the Spring with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Disorders. What's that? Well...I did want to be a Speech Therapist. You need a Master's Degree for that. 2 1/2-3 more years of school and a CFY (Clinical Fellowship Year). Do I still want to be a Speech Therapist? Well...maybe. But I don't really know. All I know right now is that my plans are changing. God's leading me in another direction. I don't know what direction that is yet, but I'm feeling a lot of peace while waiting to figure it out. That's not normal for me. I'm usually the person who has to have everything set out in front of them ahead of time. I'm thankful for peace =)


Yes, that means I believe in God. Living for him, and KNOWING him are the two things I really want to do. It's crazy sometimes...but that leads to crazy awesome.


I'm dating a Marine. He's pretty cool.


I'm content...(Phillipians 4:11) I love where I'm at- my school, my job, my family and friends. I love where I came from- my town(s), my homes, my experiences. I've learned a lot from the difficult times and the times where I had no idea what the outcome would be. I'm thankful for the hurt I experienced. I'm excited to see where I'm going from here and how God will use me and my life.


Blog post #1...done. Blog posts to come? We'll see. I guess it's a start..