rainy night reminiscing

 It has officially set in that I am going back to school in two days. Yikes! This weekend my little nephews (the CUTEST kids in the entire world, I think) stayed at our house for their first time away from Mom and Dad overnight. It was a wonderful time, and every moment with them is a treasured memory, especially because we don't get a ton of time together. Jason and Sherry left to venture home on this rainy night, and I held the umbrella for them as they carried the little babies with their fuzzy blankets and stuffed animals out to the car. I must admit, I'm such a sap, and I teared up a bit watching their sleepy little faces fade away as the car lights diminished.

Yes, I've been feeling rather emotional lately... particularly because I've been finally realizing Kathryn will not be around this semester. And of course as a Kinkel girl (or maybe just a girl haha) I am over sentimentalizing and reminiscing about everything. I am super excited for Kathryn's Africa adventures, but I am definitely going to miss her. Being together this summer has been wonderful, and such a blessing from the Lord. Actually, our whole relationship is a gift from God.

us then.

She really is my best friend. I know this semester we will both be pushed in great ways, just in entirely different countries. It will be an adjustment to not be able to see her every day, or even every week...however I take comfort in knowing we have been apart longer before :) And more so in the fact that our loving, faithful, and powerful Savior has her in the palm of His hand. I can't wait to hear about their adventures together in Zambia...and to see how He unfolds the plans for my turn "at home".  Our family loves adventures, and we always try to take the chance to travel and experience new things when the opportunities arise, but with that always comes the prior-to-leaving emotions and I dare say, fears. Maybe this sounds ridiculous. Oh well, this is my blog. I'm just being honest.

Growing up with this lovely lady was quite a joy (even though I'm sure at that time I wouldn't use that word to describe it haha...and we aren't done growing up I think we'd both say ;)  Being this close now is by the grace of God -- a relationship I treasure dearly. There is not anyone who understands me quite as well as she does, and one of the few people I never get tired of being with. Oh well, that's all I have for tonight. Time to go get some stuff done :)

and now. 

"Don't be such a ninny. I could never love anyone more than I love my sisters." ~ Little Women

Preparations!

Preparations for E3W unit decor are well underway! I have piles of random craft projects lying all around the house, and I still have to go through everything I brought back from school at the end of May term.

Yesterday Stephen, Kathryn, and I went out and found some maps at The Backpackers Shop, and this morning I tea stained them. Even more special, I found a rather large package of Kenyan black tea that I brought back a couple years ago from Kericho (Kenya's "tea country"). I figured it probably didn't taste that fresh anymore (even though the expiration date says December 2011), but it was perfect for staining. I'd say that's rather meaningful to me, or at least it makes it a little more special than the ordinary.

small morning find

After a Slow Train latte this morning and time in the Word with some of my favorite ladies (Kim, Anna, and Kathryn), we perused our favorite shop in Oberlin -- Bead Paradise. Not gonna lie, it's pretty great. We could spend hours in there finding beautiful and exotic beads, silks, and knick knacks for any crafting project. I found a section of incense sticks, and among the typical collection, discovered these small boxes!

"Fantasia"

Surf's Up

Ha, actually the surf wasn't necessarily up...if by saying that phrase it means the conditions are good. The waves were not the best, but regardless Kathryn and I ventured into the ocean during our Florida vacation to check a life goal off our bucket lists!

I no longer am as much of a surfer poser, haha... but I need to go more for it to really count (I must! i think it's addicting :) I absolutely loved it.  I only got up a couple times, but still, we had a ton of fun, and I think with chill sports that's all that matters.  Aunt Renee has a friend with two boys who have been surfing for a while, and so she asked them if they would teach us how (we later found out they were told they had to teach us...heh heh). Anyways, they were 14 and 16, but they seemed to know what they were doing -- and Kathryn and I felt much more at ease learning from some young'uns rather than guys our own age, haha ;)

us and our "surfer buddies"...the one tried to tell me people often ask him if he's Taylor Lautner...I ignored him and just tried to catch another wave ;) 

Before surfing we also all went snorkeling! In the shallower water we didn't see much, but as soon as we pushed further out we spotted a 2-3 ft sting ray! It was so cool! I didn't know what to do when I saw I was hovering right over it...Scared, yes, but not enough move away from it. Haha, good thing it swam the other direction!  Gosh I LOVE water exploration. :) I've added getting my scuba diving certification to my bucket list. I've never spent so much time in the ocean, and it was awesome! When opportunity for a cool exploration or adventure comes up, I must admit I often don't feel like taking it. When those boys came to take us surfing I felt like sunbathing and reading my book. The ocean is one of the things I love the most, but am also the most afraid of.  The conditions weren't that good, and I figured since it wasn't meeting my expectations of a perfect setting it wouldn't be fun. How lame! In getting up and conquering that momental lethargy I discovered something I would love to pursue! In life you often have to push yourself and do what you are most afraid of in order to learn and make the most of an adventure. 

Why do I live in the midwest? haha, I've definitely got to do this more. Surfing on the Great Lakes? It's possible :)

Kathryn's in there somewhere :)

to Scarborough & the Heights...some summer accomplishments

Let's see, an update on me lately. Well, I checked off another book from my summer reading list -- Wuthering Heights! Strangely enough, I loved it. For those of you who know the story, it really is rather depressing and the characters are so unpleasant...yet somehow Emily Bronte managed to create an incredible piece of literature that kept me enthralled for about 2 weeks. 


This novel has made it's way into my top favorites for sure. I would gladly read it again, I know there is probably a lot I would pick up on another time through.


At the beginning of this summer I planted an herb garden, hoping to develop my green thumb a bit more (herb gardens are easy, right?)...haha, although I'm not sure if I did any of it correctly, most of them are doing great! My one requirement for an herb garden was that it must possess the title, "Scarborough Fair"and include all the things mentioned in the Simon & Garfunkel song (my favorite version). Alas I do indeed have parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, and they are growing in meager abundance! (I say meager because I planted them in a basket...not as much space as they probably should have...oh well, I am content!)

my Scarborough Fair garden

This past week felt truly like summer. Kathryn and I were both off work, celebrated her 21st birthday, and made some trips to our favorite places. We drove to Columbus to visit Jason, Sherry & and the twins, and I was able to take a couple hours to meet up with my roommate for this year! It was a great time together, I am excited for all God has in store for our unit! E3W is gonna be awesome! I leave for school in less than a month now, and as the weeks of summer are dwindling down, I am realizing the reality of the new responsibilities I will have this year as an RA. I don't want to be someone who takes her job too seriously, but I don't want to go into this semester unprepared, mentally or spiritually.  


Honestly, keeping focused this summer has been pretty difficult for me. I've recently realized that I've been expecting that once I get to school I'll just magically attain the ability to manage my time well and be disciplined. Ha, that is unrealistic. I need to persevere in being disciplined and make time every day now (especially now) to be alone with the Lord and in the Word, or else once my schedule gets even busier that priority will be harder to attain.
It is amazing to me to see how even with my inconsistencies and struggle to be self-disciplined, God has been faithful to answer prayers and love way beyond what I deserve. He has given me ideas for my unit, and is teaching me that I can't ignore the direction He is so faithfully providing.  I may know the direction, but so often I don't move forward by putting aside what I want to follow it entirely. With direction always comes provision, and I am buckling down on trying to be faithful and dedicated to follow it whole-heartedly. 
I could go on and on, but I'll just leave it at I am learning a lot :) 


 I'm now venturing into Middle Earth to finish up book two in the Lord of the Ring series...and then I'll be headed out to the ocean to complete the Kon Tiki adventure (haha, literally I am going to the beach this week and plan on finishing that book there). 
I'll write more later!

"to have faith is to have wings"

In sitting down tonight to spend some much needed time with the Lord, my mind strayed (big surprise there...) to thinking about how much I enjoyed reading Peter Pan a few years ago (haha so random, I know), and how surely there are some good quotes I did not take the time to jot down from that story. Indeed, I went back and found many I loved, and some surprisingly illustrated strong spiritual themes for me. (God probably did that because He was determined to get my attention regardless of how many times I got distracted ;)

"The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings." - J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan

After reading this I realized what a truth this is, especially in our relationships with the Lord. I discovered one thing I love about the play/book Peter Pan is the childlike simplicity and beauty of it all. God calls us to childlike faith. Perhaps a reason I like it all so much is how I see the reckless abandon of a child to adventure portrayed, and somehow I connect it with how I relate with Jesus. Anyway, regardless of if that observation makes sense or if I just sound like a lunatic, this quote sparked in my mind some thoughts about life lately.

This quote made me think of Isaiah 40, where the Lord says, "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Is. 40:29-31). 

Faith can be such a difficult thing to grasp, to have. "To have faith is to have wings." This passage clearly states that the Lord carries and supports those who surrender all to Him, who trust everything over to His doing...they will soar, He says, on wings like eagles. I get a picture of effortless flying. When your flying I'm sure you get a better overall picture of your surroundings, and definitely a better perspective. Perhaps that could mean when you're trusting in Jesus, letting him mount you on wings like eagles, you gain a better perspective of life, of trials, challenges, and circumstances. Lately I have been faced with some circumstances where I was uncertain of the outcome, and continually I had to work at "taking every thought captive" and making it obedient to Christ. When I reminded myself that God is in control and He is going to arrange everything according to His plan, my mind was put at rest and my heart was eased of anxiety and stress. It's not easy to let go of what I want of course, but when I do I can honestly say those are the times when I can most acutely sense God's presence actively working. I let go of my preconceived notions and the things that follow I know are most assuredly of God's plan for me. That is such a reassuring feeling, one that floods me with thankfulness, that He is working things out according to what He desires.

That reckless abandon, that faith birds have that when they jump they will catch the wind and fly...it's scary, but truly freeing I'm sure. I've discovered lately that practicing faith and trust brings you to a place where God reveals so much of His character, provision, and love. It's so cool! I've been really in awe of how God works things out, how He provides. He wants us to "put our hope" in Him so that in turn He can reveal to us the bigger picture, the perspective that will adjust our hearts and minds to seeing through eternal eyes and learning more of Him. "They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Surrender, discipline, and commitment to trusting the Lord...can be difficult, but sure sounds worth it to me.

the extensive reading of books

Well, maybe not extensive... 

Two books down, and...many more to go...but I'm working on it!

(Til We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis & Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen)

Sense & Sensibility has always been a favorite of mine because the parallels I find in the close relationship of Marianne and Elinor, closely reflect me and my sister, Kathryn. I usually enjoy Austen's books, however for some reason it took me several years of picking up this novel again and again to finally finish it. I attribute that to the fact that several movie versions of this story have established themselves among my list of film favorites, and therefore in reading the book my imagination was often inhibited by pre-existing faces and places. Upon reaching the final few chapters of the book, however, I found myself as usual, enraptured in Austen's depiction of the story resolution. Alas, in the end I found my love of it more affirmed than ever, and my belief that the book is always better than the movie, proven. 

Here are some of my favorite quotes throughout:

"You are in a melancholy humour, and fancy that any one unlike yourself must be happy. But remember that the pain of parting from friends will be felt by every body at times, whatever be their education or state. Know your own happiness. You want nothing but patience -- or give it a more fascinating name, call it hope." ~ Mrs. Dashwood to Edward 

"When the weather is settled, and I have recovered my strength,' said she, 'we will take long walks together every day. We will walk to the farm at the edge of the down, and see how the children go on; we will walk to Sir John's new plantations at Barton Cross, and the Abbeyland; and we will often go to the old ruins of the Priory, and try to trace its foundations as far as we are told they once reached. I know we shall be happy. I know the summer will pass happily away. I mean never to be later in rising than six, and from that time till dinner I shall divide every moment between music and reading. I have formed my plan, and am determined to enter on a course of serious study. Our own library is too well known to me, to be resorted to for anything beyond mere amusement. But there are many works well worth reading at the Park; and there are others fo more modern production, which I know I can borrow from Colonel Brandon. By reading only six hours a day, I shall gain in the course of a twelvemonth a great deal of instruction which I now feel myself to want." ~ Marianne to Elinor, following her recovery from illness and resolution on her lessons learned in love.

“They were brought together by mutual affection, with the warmest approbation of their real friends; their intimate knowledge of each other seemed to make their happiness certain, and they only wanted something to live upon.” ~ Austen, speaking about Edward and Elinor

“A three weeks’ residence at Delaford, where, in his evening hours at least, he had little to do but to calculate the disproportion between thirty-six and seventeen…” ~ Austen, speaking of Colonel Brandon who is in-love with Marianne…I love Austen’s sense of humor! 

“Their resemblance in good principles, and good sense, in disposition and manner of thinking, would probably have been sufficient to unite them in friendship, without any other attraction; but their being in love with two sisters, and two sisters fond of each other, made that mutual regard inevitable and immediate…” ~ talking of Edward and the Colonel’s quickly formed friendship. I love this! I hope Kathryn and I can say this about us someday. 


Next book, Wuthering Heights!