my one month anniversary...

Today is my one month anniversary with Chicago. We are soooo in love. haha just kiddin. I don't know what is grosser... That my new favorite thing to eat is pita dipped in peanut butter with chocolate chips too OR that I eat it in my bed.  You know what though? I hate how when I rip off a piece of pita and go to put it in the peanut butter that because the jar isn't full I get peanut butter all over my hands... Could someone please find a solution for that?? First, let's work on solving world hunger and other issues at hand though!! :)

Gosh, is it not crazy how important it is for us to trust the Lord? Something God is recently teaching me is that He never changes and is always faithful to us, so it is just our choice whether we want to live in that confidence or not.  I can go about my life living knowing that God will give me everything He promises and that He is on my side and is fighting for me or I can go about living as if He may not... Either way God will still be faithful and give us what He promises and fight for us!!!  Sounds more fun to me to live knowing He is good.  Sounds like a blast!  A big space shuttle blasting off into space is how found that seems...

If anyone wants to mail me more pita bread and chocolate chips (milk NOT dark) you are more than welcome!!

Don’t you dare think this won’t be the first dance at my wedding…

saturday in the park, i think it was the 4th of july (WELL, get your facts straight!!)

This weekend was awesome. My mom and Julie both came to visit. I love having visitors, it was so fun. I loved my time with both of them and our conversations and everything about it was great.  Julie and I went out with some of my hair school friends Saturday night to a bar.  It was funny and not our scene but I was glad to get to spend time with them. They are such great girls and I have seriously loved getting to know them better.  It is cool how special God made everyone and how He longs to be in relationship with them.  Gosh, I am excited to just see how my relationships with them grow and not even see them saved, but just get to know them as people.  I feel like sometimes we get this mentality (or at least I do) that our purpose in relationships with non-Christians is that they know God. While I think that is so important and is so much of our purpose as mankind... But I think God oftentimes has something different in mind for relationships with people.  That I can see my classmates as people who are worthy and who have so much to offer to me and that I want to know them because they are human beings and created by God, not so they can change.  We can't just go around wishing people were different and wanting to change them (even if it is a great change, like knowing God).  God loves the process of us growing and my prayer is that the girls are growing nearer to the Lord, but I can trust Him with that and just do my best to be myself and love them where they are at! I don't know if that made sense at all but just something stirring in my heart these days, well last few minutes really.

I will see my mom in February (which is nice) and my dad will be in Chicago tomorrow for business so he is taking me out to dinner after I get off work, I am excited for that.  I don't know when I will see Julie again and that makes me want to cry a hot tub for myself then swim in it (not just because I love hot tubs), but I know life must go on and so it is sad but good and exciting the places we have been together and the places we are each going on our own.

us out at dinner. I got the salad bar and ate so much salad because I have barely eaten veggies since I moved here... too expensive :)

me and julie at the bean with the city behind us

I ALSO GAVE JULIE MY FIRST REAL OFFICIAL SEXY PROFESSIONAL TRAINED TECHNICAL SALON HAIRCUT!! It was so fun and I loved doing it and it looked smokin' hot afterwards.  Nothing dramatic just took an inch off but it looked great and healthy after!

ALSO, this weekend was filled with visitors. My friend Scot from high school came with some of his buddies. Me and Julie spent a little bit of time with them. They were funny and really excited to be in Chicago... it's such a fun city!

ta daaaaaaaaaaaa...

MY NEW HOME

Thank God, the saying is "home is where the heart is" and not "home is where the good decorating is..."  My room looks a little lame but I love it and think it is JUST RIGHT!  I have always really been a "more is less" kind of girl when it comes to decorating. I don't like a lot of doo dads and trinkets and as I took these pictures of my room on my phone for your viewing pleasure I realized that my walls are extremely bare.

Sorry, forgot to make my bed this morning.  Most days I make it so that I could bounce a penny off it the sheets are so tight...

Can't quite figure out how to turn this picture so you will have to just turn your heads to see in my closet...

my candle and alarm clock

Speaking of room and such.  The girl who lived in this room before me left her bookcase, bed, a bunch of crumbs on the floor, and a dresser but needs the bed, dresser, and bookcase back starting in March, so I won't have any stuff... Just thought I would get the word out in case you see any in the trash or have excess :)

P.S. I love school and am learning all about hair. Come here now and let me give you a cut!!

alright... you caught me, i miss you

Today is my first cry here. I just got off the phone with my sister and I miss her a lot.

I miss my friends too.

And people that I really love and care about.  Something just feels right about spending time with people you really love.

I have loved hair school and meeting new people and working and know that it is right that I am here for now. But it just feels good to cry my little eyes out and miss my peeps.  I am about to go to church with a friend though so it will be good to wipe my face and get off my tush.

I also think I am about to start my period so that's nice that I can blame it on that...  I think what triggered it all is I didn't sign a lease for my apartment and now it turns out that I have to and so that just makes it feel so much more permanent.  The fact that I might stay in Chicago after hair school made me weep! Hahaa I guess I just hadn't thought much about it.  But I know if that is what God wants it will be great...

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot I wanted to tell you guys... I just put a new battery in my electric toothbrush and man that kitty can purr!!

power

Recently I have been praying that the Lord would show me His power.  At times this is a scary prayer because who knows how He will answer it! God is soo powerful and especially reading the Old Testament, whew... scary stuff (but I love how I can trust Him with His power and sovereignty).  It is so cool then to see the power of God portrayed in Jesus in the New Testament performing miracles and loving people powerfully. 

The past few months as I have been praying this, nothing crazy has happened BUT today I was reading in Isaiah and came upon this little versey verse.  I love how it speaks of God's power.

Isaiah 45:7
I create the light and make the darkness.  I bring prosperity and create disaster.  I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.

Also, thanks to the movie "Taken" I now shout out everything I see and hear when I am on the phone... for safety of course!

just a thought...

If I had one wish it would be that when I go home or back to visit Taylor, I would weigh three hundred pounds and be trying to fit in all my old clothes acting like nothing changed!!!!!

If someone honestly gave me one wish that would for sure come true, this is not what I would choose... it would be more along the lines of people's basic needs being met, or seeing people freed from sin, or orphans knowing they are loved, or prisoners being changed and learning not just sitting in cells... but since there is no genie to grant me a real wish, I can pray for those things... and wish to be huge when my friends see me next!

new years resolutions

This seems to be the hot topic amoung people these days... I like setting goals and I always want to challenge myself to be grow and do better things, but I also think if you know you are doing something wrong you should fix it right then.  Not wait for a new year.  Gosh, I should be a motivational speaker.  haha kiddin, everyone would be like, "She is so rude." But I really do think it is too easy to sit around and wait to change instead of just doing it.

Ok, but anyways here are some of my resolutions...
A#1 A1 steak sauce (this one was a joke) ok here we go...
1. Eat healthier...
2. Not think of myself so much and put other's interests before mine
3. Be thankful and not complain about anything!
4. To get my face on the fountain at Millenium Park

I am not much of a list girl so that is all I could come up with for now... 
Since being in Chicago I have really liked it.  It is fun to be on my own and although I miss my sister and parents and friends it has been great.  My new biggest city fear is that someone will push me on the train tracks while I am waiting for the train. It's so windy here!! I have loved being in a place where I don't feel safe because it keeps me constantly crying out for God.  So many times I have lived in a way that I am not in need of God and so this has been a great change!  Geesh, I want God to use me so much here.  It has been hard being in hair school and meeting new people and wanting them to know God but just not knowing my place in that.  I was reminded today that I want to live for eternity alone and not this life.  Recently God has taught me that it is about Him moving, not me seeing it.  I want to be ok with that that...  That I trust God is doing things and using me because I am seeking Him, and not having to have proof of it. 

I am overwhelmed by the thought that the Lord has always loved me perfectly. 

Other things I like about Chicago:
-Dunkin Donuts everywhere
-my room setup and my bed sheets (soo comfy)
-pizza
-hanging out with my great aunt jean
-my winter boots
-house warming gifts... thanks peeps!!
-going to cosmetology school
-my roommates
-public transportation

Since starting this post I have eaten two cookies and some rice krispies.  Looks like I'll be starting on my resolutions tomorrow.

Morgan and I taking a "bean" picture last year...

pretty city pic (morgan took these... she's hot behind the lense)

I can't wait for people to jump in front of my face like that***!!

****(see New Years resolution #4)