First Pet

As of yesterday i have decided that i really want a fish. A cute and non-cuddly fish. Preferably pink, but i will settle for orange, as that is what is most common. And he (or she) will live in a bowl with rocks, plants, and maybe a porcelain cat or an Ariel figurine. It will be grand. Upon getting this wonderful fish i am tempted to want to name it Dori -- from the movie Finding Nemo. She was my favorite character. Not Nemo, however, as that is the name of our German Shepherd. So, opinions or suggestions on the name of the new house pet that G.C. and i will have are MOST welcome.

~ME

For The Love of Thursdays

So, as most all of the world knows, as it has been declared by so many already, today was the first official day of Fall. It equaled for me waking up at 7:14 am, having to leave to go to class at 7:30 am, being grateful for curly hair, not making it out the door till 7:40 am, sitting through classes, discovering my gas tank was almost empty, emergency refill, lunch with mom and twin #1, wonderful talks, library visits, work, bugging G.C. to no end, and this crazy long sentence. That was my first autumn day. Tomorrow is Thursday (or today, depending on how late i stay up writing this). Thursday won't be appreciated by many. It's not the first day of autumn and it's the day that keeps us and Friday separated. But it is still another day. Another day that we didn't have yesterday. Another day where we can figure out how to make curly hair and emergency gas refills something we praise HIM for instead of gripe over. Another day where we don't just consider HIM or act in a way that tries to fill the gaps with HIM, but where we make every moment about HIM. Another day where we can practice giving and demonstrating love rather than consuming and seeking it.

My bible study group and i are reading through Praise Habit... the name speaks for itself. So, i find myself wondering why it's so easy, almost automatic, to wake up at 7:14 am and say "crap, i'm late. this day is gonna suck" rather than "thank YOU for this lovely day." --Although, i wouldn't be that verbal or conscious to utter something in such length that early, but you get the idea.-- When did we substitute praise for grumbling? I can only imagine how often we do this and don't even think twice about it. It's natural. Like breathing. So maybe we should die. To ourselves. Then we maybe could see what true praise looks like. It doesn't involve anything we've done or said or accomplished. No. Praise exists when we are looking at HIM and no one else. Praise happens when we have fixed our attention on the Author of the day and not the minor or major situations that arise throughout the day. So die and don't look back. Praise and don't hold back. Appreciate 'Thursday' for more than one of it's many lovely qualities.

Mr. Gus

Ladies and Gentlemen, may i have the great pleasure of introducing you to our living room friend. He was once well behaved and is known to be of the praying sort. To whom he prays or what he preys is yet to be determined, however. I think we shall call him Gus...
Now Gus, here, first came into our living room through the fireplace. I suppose he figured it to be the safest way to enter, knowing that we wouldn't have a fire going in September. He spent his days and nights there and was happy. We were not so sure what to think of our new house guest but couldn't bring ourselves to kick him out just yet. Until.....! It was Labor day and all was well in our living room, but little Mr. Gus was not content in his tiny abode. He apparently needed to explore.

He crept out of our fireplace and up onto the wall. I was busy doing homework and allowed him to wander for a moment. In between homework i was cooking a pasta salad, which required a great deal of my attention. Going in and then back out of the room on multiple occasions. As i was re-entering my living/dining room i set my glass of juice on the table only to see out of the corner of my eye green claws grasping towards me! I, being of the jumpy sort, looked down, realized it was not my imagination and jumped back screaming.
Mr. Gus is not as friendly of a house guest as we had originally thought. I even tried to shake his hand and he threatened to eat me. I do not believe he is the religious type of creature we believed him to be. However, he was rather close to my homework, making me think that he was the intellectual type or perhaps the dog type, either way my homework would get done or i would have a legitimate excuse that my "pet" ate it. After much deliberation, and many threatening looks from our temporary and once harmless house guest, i decided i would release him back to his real home and told him to call next time before he came for a visit.

~Me

The Ramblings In My Head

So, i had a sudden burst of i-want-to-make-crafty-things this week. It involved buttons and some help from my roommate. Some friends of mine had been talking about doing a craft night and buttons were thrown into the mix of possibilities. So i went scouring the internets to see what kind of crafty button ideas i could find and came across quite a few. One of which i loved and decided to test out. It's a button bouquet, which i found here.
I looked for a salt shaker to put mine in as well, but we had an empty vase sitting on our shelf which i thought would add a some color to the ensemble of vases & bottles. Assembling it all didn't take too long, plus i had the help of my roommate, YAY! Here is our finished product... TA-DA!! Note the cute little girl that G.C. made...!

In other news... ok, well maybe it's not news, just more of the ramblings in Josie's head sort of stuff. So last week I went to the palmer home with G.C. and found wonderful things. I love vintage clothes, especially when they fit and are SO adorable. I also found a really cute old ceramic mug, its faded white on the outside and yellow on the inside. Love it.

We had bible study last night for the high school girls. One showed up. I was content with that. I like to see the way HE moves and speaks even among such a small crowd of people. If you're there and you're searching HE will be found. But it's the searching that is required and often so overlooked. We cannot always expect HIM to come to us, we have to meet HIM halfway. The journey and the discovery -- it's what makes my heart glad.

The "J-Birds" as my grandmother likes to call us grandkids, all went out to my parent's house for labor day supper. I LOVE IT WHEN MY MOTHER COOKS, OH MY GOSH! That had to be one of the 10 worst things about moving out...that and dad's banana pancakes -- MmMmMm! Anyway, we had supper and then competition arose over who was better at N64 Bond. I won't give any clues to who dominated or who was better, but fun was had by all...oh yes.

College football season has begun yet again. MSU is crazier than ever and the fans are still just as die-hard, even though you'd think they know better by now. Perhaps it's for the better that they have some good 'ol team spirit still, maybe it's the liberty they have to bring those cowbells back into the stadium that makes it more lively and exciting. Who knows. I got to go to the first game, which we actually won -- woot! I will leave you with these pictures and the piece of information that i am wearing fleece pj pants and a hoodie in September in MS, yes i am kind of hot. Don't judge... i love you too.



~ME

Picture Perfect

Have you ever watched one of those claymation films? Such as Wallace and Gromit or Gumby? They are so intriguing. These people took the time and had the patience to make a whole village of people with buildings galore, animals, and an abundance of plants. What i find even more amazing than these people's craftiness is their willingness and patience; set up the first shot, move it a hair, take next shot, move ever so slightly again, next shot... And the process repeats until you have a half-hour long film or so that probably took weeks, if not months, to make. The process is one of insane dedication, even when something falls over or turns the wrong way, the clay makers continue on with their feat. They can shape and mold their village or group of people into whatever and whomever they desire, add or take away and even re-mold if need be. Claymation people amaze me.

However, HE amazes me more. I am the clay and HE gets to mold me and shape me in any which way HE chooses. Not only that, though, but HE also gets to choose how HE shapes the world around me. The people I meet, the places i live and everything in between, HE gets to shape it all. I don't get a say in that, the people around me, the situations, the world, it is all HIS to make what HE will of it. The only part i can have influence on is myself. If i choose to resist the molder of the clay then i'll probably end up as a mess of mush until i quit being stubborn. If i am never willing to be molded into anything that is past my comfort zone then what good am i to the rest of my clay world? I cannot be a stationary object. Nothing is accomplished when you yourself are unwilling to take a different road or to be molded into something new and beautiful.

How long is it going to take us to see that we are the 'works of HIS hands'? We are absolutely nothing but a glop of mush until he picks us up and begins to slowly shape us into what HE wants us to be. I don't want to be that stubborn piece of clay, i know that.

I just made myself a grilled ham and EXTRA cheese sandwich... it was d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s! Craving -- satisfied. Labor day is coming. This means SHOPPING! Plus no school and no work. Double bonus. I am excited. Also, i am so ready for autumn to arrive in full blast; radiant colors, lovely weather, splendid wardrobe options and all. Boots, scarves and cardigans, yes please!


These are my new favorite shoes. Love at first sight.

~ME

Ze Coffee Iz Good

Feeling the need to update my blog, but i may or may not have anything interesting to say. I'm good at rambling, i know that. So, let's go.

It's been a good week. School on Monday, traffic was insane. Passed a wreck on the way to school. My Western Civ. teacher has a gorgeous voice but he is a bit of a rambler, but maybe that will change as he gets the hang of things. He is new. Also having a class with Delo = supreme delight. Makes me not think about my hunger pains at lunchtime so much because i have someone to chat with. Also because we compete on pop quizzes and bet food. She is bringing me goldfish next class period. ;)

Bible study was on Thursday. Woke up that morning extremely unprepared. HE came and we chatted and i felt better after that. I love it when HE shows up at bible study too. I never know what i'm saying when i'm saying it nor afterwards. It's like i blackout, but not really, which i take to mean that HE is the one doing the talking. This makes me feel SO much better. We also made snowflakes after class. Black ones. In August. Awesome. We also decorated them with glitter. They were to signify how even in our most uncertain and difficult or dark situations we are still supposed to shine and not be so consumed with our own problems. Break out of the pity-party that you've thrown for yourself so as to allow HIM to take over and shine. Plus! snowflakes are all different, just like our circumstances, lives, backgrounds, and situations. Black, glittery snowflakes FTW.

So apparently my friends and i attract cops. Or maybe not. Either way, they find us. Last night we had a surprise party for my little bro at the winery near the campus. It was dark and so we decided to play sardines. Kids + dark + hiding = way fun. However, Fancy winery building + silent alarms = cops getting called. We were all hiding, waiting for the last two people to find us when we see headlights and jokingly say it's the cops. Turns out it was fact. After the cops called all 15+ of us out of our hiding spot and explained to us the deal-eo and left the kids seemed thoroughly impressed with the party. Cops being called = best birthday party ever. It was quite hilarious.

I have City Bagel coffee and it is sooo yummy. Be jealous. My day is looking rather full. Prayer walk, breakfast, work, dinner, movie, yay. Busy is good. Thursday is my day of rest. I love Thursday dearly -- it treats me well.

~ME

"I Shot The Sheriff, But I Did Not Shoot The Deputy...."

Wake up.
Get coffee.
Head to school.
Sit through 3 classes.
Eat lunch at the parent's house.
Head back to my place.
Listen to fun musics.
Get pulled over.
Get a ticket.
Arrive home.
Laugh.

Two words: speed trap. At least the police officer was a pleasant man. He wasn't gruff like some can be. We had a lovely little conversation and then he told me to "slow it down and have a good night" even tho it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon. I told him to do the same...then realized that is his job to say that, not mine, or at least not to him. It's automatic response though. True fact. Well, you live and you learn and sometimes, if necessary, you repeat and learn again. Ticket #2, lesson #whoknows.

Weekend equaled lovely. Grill-out at my place, friends, laughter, booze--wait what!, and apples to apples. Apparently I suck at that game. It's sad when the only card you get is out of sympathy and reads "complicated." I am so special. Also, the boys in our group have a mean appetite...holy smokes. Can we have grill-outs like that more often, yes please? <3

Oh also, my boyfriend got me flowers and they are so lovely. YAY.


I had a giant to-do list for this afternoon, but my ambition and motivation for doing it got swiped after getting that ticket. ha Eh, it can wait till tonight...

~ME

Flickering Light Bulb

Woe is me. Worthy is HE.

I have been studying a lot in the Psalms the past few months, mainly because of the bible study I am leading and firstly because that's where I had been studying even before that came about. In the Psalms David talks a lot on the goodness of God and how much HE has done for him even though David had as many downs as he did ups. David writes about his struggles and then rejoices. David writes about his failures and then praises HIM. David pours out his heart, broken or full, and worships HIM. It's so repetitive yet somehow we fail to see it. We see the brokenness, the pain, the wanting, the waiting and the agony that David experiences. Do we see, however, David's love for God, his joy, or his embrace of the Father's discipline? Do we see God's goodness to David even when he messed up or when he was on the mountain top? God is fully present and constantly teaching us if we'll just learn to focus on what's truly important.

I've realized that over the past few months I have been having a 'woe is me' attitude about life. I feel sad, things aren't going the way I planned, I don't know where to turn next, I feel like such a failure, etc. When the attitude I should have had all along be that of 'worthy is HE.' HE has taken me along this road for a reason, HE has led me through the highs and lows on purpose, HE thinks more of me than I do of myself most days, HIS plan is better and that's the truth. I've started to see that HE likes leading us through rough spots when HE wants us to learn something, otherwise if it were on a smooth path we wouldn't get the point...literally. We have to be wanting HIM and in search of HIM, not an answer to why we're in a rough spot, but wanting to know 'what can I do to glorify YOU while I'm here.'

The speaker at church on Sunday had similar things to say about hard times and God's goodness. He spoke on finding God in the journey and not getting consumed with where you were on that journey. I've learned that's it's good and necessary to be expectant, but it's better to be wanting HIM all the more. If HE is in control and 'has given you everything you need for life and godliness' than we must learn to look no further than HIS loving eyes. HE will lead us down straight paths if we will just learn to hand over the pilot's seat. Easier said than done, I know. It takes discipline and a humble heart, but that's better, perhaps harder, than trying to do it on your own. It never works. Believe me, I've tried.

I suppose then that it is a God-consumed perspective that we must look at life through, otherwise we will most likely trip, fall, and have to go through the learning process again. So, pay attention the first time...

~Me