thankful for

workout videos. because i HATE gyms. ick.

workout video buddies. because at least you aren't alone with the sweating and suffering.

my husband. because he leaves sweet notes around. and does the laundry at random.

leftovers. because i don't have to have a sandwich for lunch.

mascara. because my eyelashes have blonde tips.

showers. because of that workout. because now i smell good!

spell-check. because i don't like to proofread.

babies. because they're so darn cute.

school. because it starts in two weeks and i'm enrolled!

sleep. because i didn't get enough and i can see how much i need it.

jesus. because my life would not be the same without him.

sweats. because i can wear yoga pants to work.

water. because i don't even know how many times i filled my camelbak up yesterday. lots.

bible. because it's true and life-changing and alive. because it's god's word.

ibuprofen. because kids are loud and i got a headache.

writing in all lowercase. because i can.

new workout routine

With the new year, we decided to kick up our workouts another notch. 

So now we're doing this on a daily basis:

manually moving the car from one side of the parking lot to the other

Or, perhaps more accurately... 

John's car won't start but had to be moved for some work on the gutters on the building.

So Carson, Rachel and I pushed it over ice and snow... 

and then took a picture after the job was done. 

it's funny

Spokane, Washington.
It's funny to think that a place I didn't know existed has taken so much of my heart. Tons of firsts, tons of growth -- both spiritually and physically in a "hey-I'm-living-on-my-own" kind of way. Figuring out that to pay rent one must have money. To understand that budgets are lovely things to have before going to the store. To realize that shopping on an empty stomach is a bad idea... especially for said budget.

It's funny that this was just a bump on the road for my plans. That I would be here for a school year and then be gone, off to a bigger, windier city. Never would I have thought that I would change my plan, my direction, and choose to stay. And for a boy? Unthinkable. I've been here for two and a half years and though that's not a very long time, it's long enough to be familiar with this place, to consider it home.

It's funny to look ahead to the future. To think that this "bump on the road" has been such a joy, and that it will be hard to leave. That a school I've come to love will be left behind, and people who've entered its doors from near and far (like I have), will exit and go on to something else. We probably won't be here forever. We'll leave and maybe visit but this won't be home anymore. This is part of life as it is, but not life as it will be. It keeps going.

It's funny to think that there will be new lessons, new streets to ascertain, new city laws to figure out. There will be more apartments, more class registrations, and more moving boxes. There will be different people, plans, promises to trust.

Life isn't about staying in one place. It goes on. And whether it goes on and you live in the Northwest for the rest of your life or it goes on and you move to a different continent, country or school, change happens. Growth happens. And it's good.

Isn't it funny?

First Roommate

I met Molly the Wednesday before school started. 

We were wearing the same outfit that day. Red shirts and jeans.

And our moms were (are) named Michele with one "L". 

We were roommates. 

We both liked green and polka dots. 

And decorated both our room and our bathroom in rainbows.

We said it was to combat any gloomy weather. But who knows?

Anyway, that was two and a half years ago. 

Feels like longer.

Probably because we lived together.

So many memories in that time. 

Isn't it funny that you "make a lifetime" in a short time with people when you move away from home?

I think that's it.

Today is a special day for Molly. 

A really important day. 

She's not going to be Molly Schwaninger anymore

She'll be Mrs. Jerrad Fletcher. 

I'm, sadly, not in Michigan to witness the event but I can't wait to see pictures and see the newlyweds once they return to Spokane. And I know the dress is gorgeous; I just haven't seen it on her.

Congrats, best-roommate-ever! 

(for some reason those were our phone tags for awhile)

Taco Bell and Sparkling Cider

New Year's eve last year was spent with friends in Cheney, watching movies and playing Settlers of Catan.

This year? We spiced things up...

 Clearly.

We went to Target after Carson got off work. If you ever want to spend a quiet evening in Target, 9:30pm on New Year's Eve is the time.

And yes, we went to Taco Bell:

Carson: "Let's go get tacos"

Lindsay: "Are you serious?"

Carson: "We can make a resolution NOT to eat it in the new year"

Lindsay: "Sounds fantastic!"

So there we were, off to the drive thru...

And oddly enough, we weren't alone. Others had the idea for pre-resolution fast food. 

So we took pictures while we waited.

Target and Taco Bell. Jealous yet?

And then we returned home with our Target purchases: sparkling cider, The Blind Side, and candy. 

Carson LOVES candy.

We poured the cider, opened the candy, popped the DVD in and played Scrabble. 

At five to midnight, we were doing this:

 We were about to take a "Yay, it's midnight" picture

When we heard a sound. It confused us.

(We were mid-picture and this is an actual candid)

Until we realized that our clocks were one minute off and it was 2011! 

And there were fireworks going off downtown.

So we did what any normal people would do: we ran to the other end of the building, grabbed Heidi's spare key, and watched the fireworks from her window!

Happy New Year!

Cows and Ice

Note that I did not say "Cows on ice".

Not that you were expecting that.

Nevermind.

Anyway, this is how we spend the first day of the new year...

Taking a day trip

 to eastern Oregon

For no real reason but "why not?"

and because I've only been to western Oregon and there's lots to see

And even though there was a LOT of ice and snow on the roads 

(look at the left lane)

 through Idaho

 with lots of places to stop along the way

I was wearing my make-every-outfit-look-like-I'm-a-boy  awesome waterproof boots
(they really aren't that bad... and Carson was right about them being warmer)

 while Carson wore his hat (I think these hats look like Pluto's ears)

 where we took our time and took self-portraits

 and observed many snow covered, ice covered roads

and then we stopped to visit a herd of cows
we literally hung out there for fifteen minutes, trying to get them to come over.
I'm not trying to brag (yes I am) but Carson couldn't get them over and then I did.
They were won over by the sweetness of my voice
(I have a video)
My reward? A lick from a cow. And no way to clean my hand. Mmm... saliva...

This was my new friend. I couldn't decide if she was angry or interested.

we decided to chronicle our awesome first day of the new year with these guys.
our noses were red. it was -1 degrees. that is cold!

they still look a little angry to me. maybe it was the snowball Carson threw?

 We also saw lots of deer. And some elk, but they were far away.

 And we stopped in this "town" (there was one restaurant/laundromat/bathhouse/bar/hotel and some campsites owned by the one establishment for crazy people hunters)

 And that's all we did in Oregon.
We passed some really elaborate Christmas light set-ups in Idaho's parks. This is the best picture I have.

And then I fell asleep because I was totally car sick around all the mountain roads that went up and down and twisted. And I fall asleep when I'm frustrated or feeling bad.

That Conversation in the Car

I work closely with a person that gets on everyone's nerves.

And you can keep reading because I'm not going to talk about why.

Tonight, we had a work meeting. Someone is going to get laid off in the next couple weeks due to lack of enrollment. Just for a month or two, hopefully, but it looks like that's what is going to happen. Pray for that!

Not the point.

After said meeting, I offered to take a co-worker to the Plaza downtown to catch her bus. She agreed, preferring a warm car to a cold, dark bus stop. We began to talk, because even though we do work closely, we don't just sit there and chat. I was enjoying the talk, so I offered to take her all the way home. During the course of the conversation, it came out that she used to be a Christian.

Naturally, I was curious.

Apparently, she's been doing some thinking, processing what she's been brought up to believe, what she knows of the world, the way she wishes things would be...
and all that has lead to calling herself a "Pagan". I've heard the term but honestly thought it just meant a person who didn't believe in anything at all. Shows how much I know.

According to the dictionary (seriously, I didn't know!), a pagan is someone who holds a polytheistic religion... (Note: Polytheistic religions are those that believe in either lots of gods or just more than one... Buddhism, Wiccan...).

So anyway, she's not super sure what she believes, but she's pretty turned off from Christianity. She threw that background away for her current beliefs and has gotten some flack from the  people in her church. She wasn't bitter, just matter-of-fact. I'm sure it would be awful to have been involved in a church and then just be burned by people you thought knew and loved you.

As you probably know by now, this person is the person mentioned in my first sentence. And you know, I'm kind of glad. She doesn't bother me as much as others have claimed that she annoyed them. And I work with her everyday, all day. And we had that long conversation in the car.

So I'm really glad that I do work with her, and that she's not just a random person I'll never see again. But I would like you to pray about this.

Why and what?
That I wouldn't be trying to proselytize: Um, does anyone like someone campaigning for what they believe in such a way that they can't get a breath of fresh air? I think not. I want to lend a listening ear for sure, and a mouth that speaks truth. Not in a way that offends her, but not in a wishy washy manner either. Speaking the truth in love, words seasoned with grace... that kind of thing.

That she would come into contact with the truth, and that it would be clear to her: She's not so sure of what she believes, so when truth hits her, I pray that she is ready to see it as truth. I pray that she will see God as God and His Word as truth, without bias or presupposition or the hypocrisy that yes, sadly does exist among the church.

That Jesus would pursue her: Does He love her? Yes. Does He desire a relationship with her? I have no doubt. Did He possibly put me in such close contact to pray for her and share Him with my life? Maybe! I pray that I would portray a Lord others would want to follow and that maybe they would as a result of me.
It feels way NOT humble to say such a thing, so I also ask that you pray for humility for me. This kind of thing freaks me out a little bit and I get so unsure... pray that I would be in the Word and guided by truth.

Please pray, and ask me about it! My "shyness" can sometimes lead to "being quiet about the important things"!