Little House on the Prairie

I've been reading the Little House on the Prairie books again, just because.

Boy, it brings back memories.

Like fighting over who got to "be" Laura (more fun) and who got to be Mary (more well behaved). (I think I lost on that one since Mary's older).

And pretending that we were Mary and Laura on the back of the covered wagon (as pictured here) by sitting silently on the end of one of our beds.

Did you know that it's a musical now? Melissa Gilbert who was Laura in the TV show (which I never fully liked since it wasn't enough like the books:"Pa" didn't even have a beard!) plays "Ma" in the musical. It's coming to Spokane this spring and I wanted to find an excuse to go... can you even picture it? It's for real! Click here!

Pathways

Different things stick out every time I read Proverbs, and I guess that can't be helped, since there are so many ideas and things in every chapter. Recently, I read Proverbs sixteen. I kept noticing how commonly the word "Way" was used throughout. It really stuck out.

All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight,

But the Lords weighs the motives. Proverbs 16:2

When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord,

He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7

The mind of a man plans his way,

But the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;

He who watches his way preserves his life. Proverbs 16:17

There is a way which seems right to a man,

But its end is the way of death. Proverbs 16:25

A man of violence entices his neighbor

And leads him in a way that is not good. Proverbs 16:29

A gray head is a crown of glory;

It is found in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 16:31

A way is kind of like a path - it's a direction. It's something you're either on, or you're not. Or you're on one, but not all ways are alike. A way is chosen - maybe carefully and perhaps thoughtlessly, but it doesn't "just happen".

There are different pathways for different things and b that I mean that each way leads to something and follows some sort of course. It has an end and it has a purpose, progressing along the way.

The way of the Lord is following the Lord where He leads. I love the last verse the best - the one about the gray head being a crown of glory. It seems almost triumphant. A crown of glory for a lifetime of walking with the Lord. Proudly worn as a testimony to the Lord's faithful work in a person's life (and to let God work, we must choose that, so that crown of glory really belongs to Him all along).

Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes

And I shall observe it to the end. Psalm 119:33

The way of the Lord is a commitment. It is faithfulness to Him.

I love this verse:

I have been young and now I am old,

Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken

Or His descendants begging bread.

All day long He is gracious and lends,

And his descendants are a blessing. Psalm 37: 25&26

The Lord is good to those who keep His way and are faithful to Him. How incredibly faithful He is!

my 21st birthday

I am now 21. And here is what I did on my birthday:

Had pre-marriage counselling

Had lunch with Carson and Emily at Senor Froggy's

Showed Em around Spokane

Had my final dress fitting and got to take it with me (a very exciting moment)

Hung out at the house

Took Emily to the airport (sad)

Went out to dinner with Molly and Erica

(we got asked about the ears all night. Theirs say "She's 21" and mine, "I'm 21")

And then, I tried my dress on for Molly, Erica, and the girls I stayed with.

It was quite fun, and the fun continued the next day too! Carson had to work on my birthday so he made Wednesday the honorary birthday day... it was fun!

thankful

I'm thankful for:

- Hot tea in general (but especially Pomegranate Green Tea and White Peach Oolong Tea)

- Cards and letters in the mail

- Prayer with the man I'm going to marry

- Journalling thoughts, lists and Scripture

- Birthday gifts in the mail

- Em coming to see Spokane

- The seasons and changes in friendship that remind me that God is at work

- Getting married in a little over two months

- Pictures and the memories associated with them

- Planning the detail parts of the wedding.

- Seeing "old" friends and enjoying their hospitality and company

- Scavenger hunts

Where in the World...

...has Lindsay been for the past two months?

Here are some pictures to compensate for my bad updating...

I went to the Oregon coast with Carson's family in mid-January. I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time, saw seals for the first time, and got to know the family better.

Virginia - Carson's mom and I went to Virginia to meet his brother's family in Quantico.

While I was there I also got to see Brooke in Purcellville and Jillian's future home in Occoquan!

Beaufort - THEN, I got to go to Beaufort. It snowed for the first time in 20 years - five inches!

Not to mention, seeing family was great.

And taking our first family picture ever in the snow...

And to top it all off... Jillian got married! Got to be a bridesmaid again!Then it was time to say goodbye...

I'm now living in Olympia with Carson's parents (though Seattle is the destination of the ferry I'm pictured on below)

And at this moment, I'm in Spokane again, just visiting + getting my wedding dress fitted.

Emily's coming to visit for five days... we'll pick her up tonight.

After this trip, I'm planning on staying in Olympia again and I definitely plan to stick in one place for more than two weeks... I haven't done that since the year started!

Busy

"Are you busy?"

I've heard that a lot since I arrived in South Carolina on the first of the month. "You must be really busy with wedding planning and doing things with friends" says nearly every person I run into at church or around town.

One thing I've noticed though is that while I wouldn't say I've been super busy, I know that I haven't been very restful. My moments of reflection of any kind are squeezed in between lunch and coffee dates or while sitting in traffic.

Anyway, I can tell that I need to be restful because I've been staying up rather late reading, writing or thinking. I've read over several older journals and all of them kept me up thinking. Good, mostly. And then some conviction thrown in.

There was a time in my life where my life was not busy. Well, maybe it was, but it was prioritized. I got up early, had my quiet time, and started my day. Sometimes I'd work out early in the morning; other times I'd skip it but the thing was, my days started early and were focused from the start.

And then I went to school. Getting up an hour and a half early to spend time in God's Word before a 7:45 class seemed crazy to me so I'd grab a bite of the Word as I did my makeup or drank my morning cup of tea. As the semester progressed, I realized that I wasn't really getting any time in God's Word because I didn't make time first. That's been one of the biggest struggles throughout my time away - getting up before early classes (and staying awake!) to do my quiet time.

That brings me to now. I'm currently taking the semester off, so quiet times aren't a problem, right? Wrong! The bad habit I fed while in school hasn't helped at all. Neither has my lack of discipline. To put it simply, I've been busy. Busy, busy, busy. And then I go to bed to rest, wake up, and go right back to being busy.

I'm not sure of the proper context of this verse but I found it fitting: Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it. Psalm 39:6

Life isn't supposed to be empty busyness. It's supposed to be about God. Wedding planning is great - God first. Dates with friends are so wonderful - God first. Family time is great too - God first. There really aren't any exceptions I can see anywhere in Scripture. Sure, do stuff! Have fun! But never let yourself get to the place where you'll get to God later. NEVER. What a dangerous and sad position to be in! Yes, it's a big deal. Yes, we need that time.

*picture of a rather "busy" paper time in my life last semester, taken by my friend Emily from school.

The Best Thing That Ever Happened

Best [best]
–adjective, superl. of good with better as compar.

1.	of the highest quality, excellence, or standing: the best work; the best students.

2.

most advantageous, suitable, or desirable: the best way.

3.	largest; most: the best part of a day.

I heard the question asked the other day, "What is the best thing that ever happened to you?"

At first, it seemed like an easy answer. And then I realized that I couldn't come up with one single BEST thing that had ever happened. I had a mental list but no way of narrowing it down.

The best thing that ever happened was that I was born. I'm pretty glad to be alive. Thanks Mom and Dad! Thanks God!

The best thing that ever happened was that I got to go to Ukraine and China and grow a lot through that. Thanks again, God!

The best thing that ever happened was that I got to go to Moody. Thanks AGAIN, God!

The best thing that ever happened was that I got to meet, like, love, and become engaged to Carson. Again, thank You!

And then I realized that there is not one BEST moment out there. Not for me anyway. I have lots of great memories, lots of wonderful milestones as I think about my life, but there's no way to single out a day, era (can 20 year olds have eras?), moment of life as the very best.

I realize that right now I am in the middle of God's plan for my life. And it is wonderful. I love my life. It's been peppered with moments that make me feel a realm of emotions. I see the process throughout, which I've mentioned a thousand times and don't mind being a broken record about. The things that are going on in my life right now didn't just happen. There was a process of getting there.

And I LOVE that about God. It's one of the things about His faithfulness that I'm just in awe about. He didn't stick us with lives and futures that randomly fell into place but carefully organized our lives. He let there be cause and effect. He let bad things happen so that good things can happen, both to shape and refine us.

The best thing that ever happened to me wasn't a single moment that once was and will one day end. It's right now. It's my relationship with God. It's Him, guiding me and loving me and showing me things and being more faithful than I'll ever understand or deserve. He's the best thing.

How wonderful is that, that God would be so faithful that the best thing that ever happened to us, wouldn't ever end?